Cambodia Must Postpone Elections Set for July

April 5, 2013

CAMBODIA MUST POSTPONE ELECTIONS SET FOR JULY AND PREPARE PROPER VOTER LISTS

Disproportionate Numbers of Women to Be Disenfranchised If Vote Proceeds as Planned

In the light of a report this week by the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (Comfrel) on voter lists and registrations, it is clear that there is no way that Cambodia will be able to hold genuine elections in July.

Comfrel found that 13.5% of registered voters, or 1.25 million citizens, were not on the voter lists for the elections. Nearly two-thirds of these citizens (62.8%) are women. In addition, the National Election Committee (NEC) has registered about 300,000 names who are not eligible to vote (ghost or fraudulent voters) (1). 

The findings confirm and amplify the results of the audit published by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in March. This showed that "the quality of voter lists has declined by every measure since 2008," when elections were denounced by European Union observers as falling "short of international standards."  The NDI found that 25.8% of names on the electoral register belong to people who, in all likelihood, won’t vote at the assigned place, and that 17.1% of eligible citizens were either not registered or de-registered (2).

The Cambodian government last year rejected recommendations from the United Nations for thorough reform of the NEC.  It is now clear and beyond dispute that the will of the Cambodian people can't be democratically and properly reflected in the elections scheduled for July 28. Time has run out. The international community cannot accept such a level of fraud and disenfranchisement. To allow Cambodia's poll to proceed as planned would be to breach the 1991 Paris peace accords, which call for "genuine  elections."

There is therefore no other solution than to postpone the elections until valid electoral lists can be produced.  The precedent of Bangladesh in 2007 and 2008 shows that a new and high-quality electoral register can be quickly created, given cross-party political will and the support of the United Nations.

If the vote takes place as scheduled on July 28, then the international community must refuse to acknowledge the results.  The Cambodian people deserve meaningful elections at a later date, rather than a timely charade that has been identified as such in advance.

Sam Rainsy
President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP)

Leader of Cambodia’s united democratic opposition

(1)The Comfrel report is available here: http://comfrel.org/eng/components/com_mypublications/files/484678Voter_Survey_2012__SVRA_Plus_Eng_01_04_2013_Final.pdf

(2) National Democratic Institute's key findings and recommendations are summarised here: http://cald.org/site/documents/VRA_3_Statement_FINAL.pdf