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| Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy |
BY LAUREN CROTHERS
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Self-exiled opposition party leader Sam Rainsy yesterday cast doubt on the number of people registered to vote in the July 28 national elections, claiming that the National Election Committee (NEC) has inflated the list with people who are not eligible to vote, while disenfranchising legitimate voters.
The apparent disparity between the official voter register and the number of people actually eligible to vote is not a fresh issue and was the focus of a comprehensive report by the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (Comfrel) in October.
Citing 2012 CIA and Unicef figures, Mr. Rainsy said the population stands at about 14.9 million people, 60 percent—or 8.9 million—of whom are over the age of 18 and therefore eligible to vote. He compared that figure with the 9.6 million voters as listed by the NEC following last year's registration drive.
"The NEC's figure of 9.67 million voters is stunning," Mr. Rainsy said in a statement yesterday.
The bloating in the voter list will affect the outcome of the upcoming elections, he added.
"Actually, the voter list published by the NEC is inflated by at least 1 million names that are related to ghost (nonexistent) voters, underage people (below 18) and foreigners who are fraudulently/illegally registered as voters," Mr. Rainsy alleged.
Koul Panha, Comfrel's executive director, said the bloated voter list means that the outcome of the election can be manipulated, for instance, in constituencies where an extra seat is at stake.
"If someone has the intention to manipulate [using the extra votes], they easily can," he said.
NEC Secretary-General Tep Nytha said the number of voters was not fabricated, and that if Mr. Rainsy wants names deleted from the list, he must produce evidence to support his claim.
"We do not have any evidence, then we cannot delete their names; if we delete without evidence, they would lose the right to vote," he said.
"I know the voter list is not perfect, but it has quality," he added.
(Additional reporting by Eang Mengleng)
2 comments:
I think Rainsy is sometime a trouble maker. He has no clear objective policy, both foreign and domestic.
It is great and excellent to have China to upgrate RAF to defend country and to counter the threat. Cambodia must be independet, self-reliance.... So, Hun Sen must keep all CPP members out of corruption, stop the flow of Viet.................then everything is on truck
IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT HUN XEN HAS EVERY INTENTION TO ROB EVERY ELECTION IN ORDER TO STAY IN POWER UNTIL THIS THUG IS 99 YEAR OLD. THIS OLD DINASOUR MUST DO ANYTHING TO FIX EVERY ELECTION SO HE CAN STAY IN POWER LIKE HE SAID. THIS A REASON THAT IS WHY HE WILL NOT REMOVE THIS SCUMBAG NAME TEP NITA FROM NEC POST. HUN XEN NEED TEP NITA TO DO STEALING ELECTION FOR HIM(HUN XEN). THIS OLD DINASOUR NEED TO GO!. so khmer people can live in peace.
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