Press Release of (Commune) Cambodian Election from NICFEC

STATEMENT ON ELECTION ENVIRONMENT FOR THE 3rd MANDATE COMMUNE/SANGKAT ELECTION

Phnom Penh, June 4, 2012

On June 3, 2012, Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (NICFEC) deployed 2,000 observers, including people with disabilities, in twenty-one (21) provinces/municipalities to monitor the 3rd Mandate Commune/Sangkat Election process in order to provide information and analyze the election process as well as to improve the process in the future. In addition, seven (7) of the observers were mobile observers and twenty (20) were foreign observers

NICFEC observers basically used Election Laws, Regulations and Procedures as materials for measuring the regularities and irregularities during the election day and also monitoring electoral officials, civil servants, armed forces, political activists, general people and media systems comparing the principles with the actual implementations.

Based on the reports received, NICFEC found that the election was generally in order with no major obstacles or violence. There were some minor problems in some polling stations in Phnom Penh and in Odor Meanchey Province because of bad weather. However, NICFEC, in every polling station, found some irregularities as follows:

1. Continued issuing voting certified letters until election day. According to the law on commune/Sangkat Elections, the deadline of voting certified letters shall end on June 1, 2012, at 5:30 pm;

2. The polling station officials allowed the 1018 Form for voting;

3. Using voter information note for voting;

4. Some voters made a commotion because they could not use voter information note for voting, in case some voters used it for voting and some people have no ID.

5. Duplicate names of voters were still a problem on voter lists and voters causing irregularities in the number of voters and voter names on the voter lists;

6. Losing names from voter lists, separation of family members to different polling stations and many voters did not find their name and some voters found someone voted for them. This seriously affected the results of the election;

7. Policemen wearing their uniforms while voting;

8. Older people did not get priority to vote;

9. Some independent media were prohibited to broadcast election information, while TVK was allowed to broadcast;

10. Security police carried guns less than the permitted 100 meter distance of polling stations;

11. Presence of authorities and village chiefs near the polling stations;

12. Political campaign banners, posters were remained posted less than 100 meter distance of polling station on election day;

13. Some non-Cambodian voters got to vote and electoral officials tried to protect them;

14. Some electoral officials had no experience in elections which affected the proper application of electoral regulations and procedure;

15. Some electoral officials experienced and understood well but allowed abuses of the electoral regulations and procedure;

16. Intimidation of political activists and vote-buying occurred;

17. Issuing the serial number of village for voting by village to village;

18. Giving money to observers not to do the observation of the polling station

19 Do not allow to vote even if name in ID and name in voter list were slightly misspelled, according to NEC instruction, they can vote.

20. Village chief brought figure ink and distributed it to non-voters

21. Using secret ballot seal for other purpose, according to the procedure

22. Un-voted ballots were not punctured.

Conclusion

The general picture of the election process for the 3rd Mandate of Commune/Sangkat Elections held in order but the implementation of polling office officials was non-compromising and the attitude of land authorities showed non-neutrality.

Civil society networks, local NGOs and International NGOs concluded that independent media in Cambodia do not have real freedom, while the Ministry of Information prohibited some independent media to broadcast election information on election day, although TVK was allowed.

The preliminary results of the 3rd Mandate Commune/Sangkat Elections indicated that the turn-out voters were less than the previous Elections. The number of voter lists increased but the turn-out voters decreased.

Recommendation

NICFEC would like provide the following recommendations:

1 Ministry of Interior, MOI, should review the non-Cambodian citizens but bearing Cambodian Identification Card and ensure every Cambodian citizen at least 18 years old obtains a Cambodian ID;

2. MOI should ensure the commune leaders and village chiefs maintain a neutral position and strictly implement the law on elections, instruction on village duties and obligations. Anyone who abuses the law, regulations and procedure should be fined:

3. All security forces and political parties should maintain a peaceful environment in every electoral stage to avoid intimidation, threatening and vote-buying;

4. Political agents should be trained;

5. NEC should monitor the implementation of polling station officials and authorities who abused electoral procedure and take legal action, in accordance with law, as well as solving complaints in a transparent method;

6. NEC should put ballot box in a lower position to facilitate ball for blind people and other handicapped voters and set up mobile polling stations for people with disabilities for voting as well as pay attention to the language and gestures of deaf and mute people;

7. NEC should pay additional attention on the training quality because some commune electoral officials performed wrong procedures;

8. NEC should arrange voter lists with photos of voters, strictly review and justify the voter lists toward the 2013 national elections avoiding double names, non-voters in the voter lists and losing names of voter in order to establish better confidence in NEC;

9. NEC should ensure independent media should not be denied the freedom of information related to elections;

10. NEC should produce voter cards (used for election) rather than making voter information note which some people used incorrectly;

11. NEC should educate people about the election processes and produce small-sized information leaflets to distribute at the grass-root level.

Address: # 16B, St 348, BBK3, Chamkarmorn, Phnom Penh

Contacted: +855 12 822 273, 12 959 666, 97 885 2889

Fax: +855 23 993 666

Email: nicfec@gmail.com

Website: www.nicfec.wordpress.com

Note dari penulis :

Tertarik ingin punya bisnis sendiri???? Gampang caranya. Add akun Facebook saya yang ada di sebelah kanan atau kiri artikel ini.  

Kalau sudah jadi friend saya di Facebook, nanti saya undang ke pertemuan bisnis kami. Tenang, kalau cuma hadir di pertemuan bisnis, gak perlu bayar. Pertemuannya juga online, lewat Facebook. Jadi gak perlu keluar rumah, dan kalau lagi di luar rumah, gak perlu batalin janji. Kan bisa lewat handphone. Asyik, kan. Yuk, gabung yuk.