Appeal to the U.S. Government

March 18, 2013

APPEAL TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

TO HELP ENSURE FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS IN CAMBODIA

As the July 28, 2013 national elections approach, Cambodian democrats worldwide are asking the U.S. government to convince the Cambodian government to implement the election recommendations issued by the United Nations in July 2012. These recommendations are intended to ensure democratic and “genuine” elections, as stated in the 1991 Paris Agreements on Cambodia signed by the United States of America along with several other countries.

Because the Cambodian government continues to adamantly reject the U.N. recommendations, the U.S. government should send a clear message to Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, telling him that

1- No American-funded organizations will send any election observers to monitor the July 2013 elections because previous election recommendations issued by international observers have been ignored by the Cambodian government, which shows no will to implement any reform. The current election system is unacceptably biased in favour of Hun Sen’s ruling party, which is used – through various tricks such as manipulation of the electoral roll – to secure a victory even before Voting Day.

2- The U. S. government will not recognize the legitimacy of the July 2013 elections which, given the countless and serious irregularities in their preparation, will not meet minimum standards for democratic elections as recommended by the United Nations and will only lead to an unacceptable distortion of the will of the Cambodian people.

3- The U. S. government will not recognize the legitimacy of any government stemming from such illegitimate elections.

The united democratic opposition represented by the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) believes that only such an appropriate and timely warning from the U.S. government could convince the Cambodian authorities to accept a compromise leading to more democratic and acceptable elections, a sine qua non for the country’s stability and prosperity.

The two essential points in the U.N. recommendations are related to an overhaul of the National Election Committee (NEC) and the full participation of CNRP president and opposition leader Sam Rainsy in the electoral contest.

CNRP Secretariat