Tomorrow, March 18, representatives of Cambodian communities from all over Europe will demonstrate in front of the European Parliament and the European Commission buildings to demand free and fair elections in Cambodia. They will distribute the following Appeal.
March 18, 2013
March 18, 2013
APPEAL TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
TO HELP ENSURE FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS IN CAMBODIA
As the July 28, 2013 national elections approach, Cambodian democrats worldwide are asking the European Union 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 five major European countries: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom.
Because the Cambodian government continues to adamantly reject the U.N. recommendations, the European Union (E.U.) should send a clear message to Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, telling him that
1- The EU will not send observers to monitor the July 2013 elections. To do so would be simply to repeat the experience of the last elections in July 2008, following which their recommendations were rejected. Since the vote, which European observers denounced as having "fallen short of key international standards for democratic elections," the Cambodian government has demonstrated its unwillingness to implement any reform. The current election system remains unacceptably biased in favour of Hun Sen’s ruling party, which uses various tricks, such as manipulation of the electoral roll, to secure a victory even before Voting Day.
TO HELP ENSURE FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS IN CAMBODIA
As the July 28, 2013 national elections approach, Cambodian democrats worldwide are asking the European Union 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 five major European countries: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom.
Because the Cambodian government continues to adamantly reject the U.N. recommendations, the European Union (E.U.) should send a clear message to Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, telling him that
1- The EU will not send observers to monitor the July 2013 elections. To do so would be simply to repeat the experience of the last elections in July 2008, following which their recommendations were rejected. Since the vote, which European observers denounced as having "fallen short of key international standards for democratic elections," the Cambodian government has demonstrated its unwillingness to implement any reform. The current election system remains unacceptably biased in favour of Hun Sen’s ruling party, which uses various tricks, such as manipulation of the electoral roll, to secure a victory even before Voting Day.
2- The E.U. will not recognize the legitimacy of the July 2013 electionswhich, 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 E.U. and its member countries 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 European Union, which is Cambodia's largest donor institution, 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 General-Secretary
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