Elections

Cambodian legislators approved two controversial election laws on Thursday that were promptly condemned by rights groups as undemocratic for their restrictive provisions — including a ban on NGOs from criticizing political parties during election campaigns. The laws, which were unanimously approved, received backing from both the ...

On the 45th anniversary of Lon Nol’s U.S.-backed 1970 ouster of Prince Norodom Sihanouk, Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday publicly accused the opposition CNRP of working to illicitly overthrow his CPP government. ...

Minor political parties have come out swinging at the ruling and opposition political parties for overhauling the election system on a bi-party basis. Two election-related laws that the National Assembly is expected to pass later this week have been negotiated for months solely by the CPP ...

Criticism of two draft laws aimed at reforming Cambodia’s electoral system continues to grow. On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch issued a statement saying the draft laws “violate basic human rights and democratic norms and should be substantially revised before being presented to the National Assembly for ...

CNRP Vice President Kem Sokha said in a speech in the U.S. last week that he was unhappy with the opposition party’s decision to end its boycott of the National Assembly last year but was prepared to “swallow gravel and rocks” to maintain unity with ...

Chuon Phang, the 79-year-old chief of Tasanh commune in Battambang’s Samlot district, has always handed out free cotton kramas to local villagers about a month ahead of elections. But the ruling Cambodian People’s Party representative does not characterise the practice as vote-buying. He says he gives ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday returned from an international disaster management conference in Japan, where he secured a promise from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to help Cambodia with voter registration once new election laws come into effect, an official said. ...

Two new laws governing elections and the functioning of the National Election Committee are expected to be passed without further debate during a session of parliament later this week. ...

Deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha said on Thursday that the National Assembly will meet next week to debate and pass the country’s two new election laws in order for the new National Election Committee (NEC) to be established before the Khmer New Year. ...

Prince Norodom Ranariddh completed his takeover of the royalist Funcinpec party on Thursday, with a national party congress granting him absolute control of the party following a power struggle with the man who engineered his removal as leader in 2006. ...

The opposition hailed the rewriting of Cambodia’s election laws a success on Monday, with the completion of the bills coming eight months after it ended its parliamentary boycott for pledges of a comprehensive overhaul of the National Election Committee (NEC). ...

The ruling party and opposition on Monday held a workshop to discuss two draft laws on election reform, but many civil society groups refused to attend, claiming parts of the bills fall short and are unconstitutional. Koul Panha, executive director for Comfrel, told VOA Khmer on Monday that more ...

The ruling CPP has denied that an article in the new election law that lays down strict penalties for politicians that incite racial discrimination during election campaigning is targeted at the opposition party. However, a CPP source familiar with election reform negotiations has disclosed that ...

Representatives of more than 60 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and an electoral reform group on Monday boycotted a national workshop held Cambodia’s ruling and opposition parties on the electoral reform draft law, saying they did not have enough time to review the documents. ...

Dozens of NGOs are planning to boycott a workshop Monday to discuss the new election law, saying that the CPP and CNRP have not given them enough time to review the draft and that they do not want to give the event a veneer of ...

The Interior Ministry has given Cambodian dissident Sourn Serey Ratha permission to proceed with the registration of a political party despite the self-exiled government critic’s recent conviction in absentia for plotting an attack on the state. ...

The allocation of two new seats to Preah Sihanouk province and absence of seats for Phnom Penh in the recently distributed draft law on electoral reform has prompted concerns that attempts are being made to manipulate the playing field ahead of the 2018 election. Ou Virak, ...

The country’s two major political parties signed off on the final draft of a revised and highly controversial election law on Friday, with civil society groups arguing that the bill is unconstitutional due to a provision that restricts their activity during the election campaign period. ...

The revised national election law—expected to come before parliament this month—includes a provision that allows National Assembly seats to be taken away from any political party that attempts to boycott parliament following an election, according to a draft of the law made public Thursday. ...

FUNCINPEC heavyweight Nhek Bun Chhay has made his internal feud with party president Prince Norodom Ranariddh personal. ...

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni has appointed 24 royalist Funcinpec Party figures as advisors to government led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, according to a royal decree released to the media on Monday. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday welcomed the end of talks over changes to the national election law and said the opposition CNRP has agreed to include in the law his proposal to strip National Assembly seats from any political party that boycotts parliament after ...

Cambodian political commentators and a civil society group have criticized a deal between the ruling and opposition parties which finalized a draft national electoral reform law, as being nontransparent and only serving the two parties themselves. ...

Leaders of ruling and opposition parties met here on Saturday to finalize a new draft election law, which will be used to ensure free and fair elections in the future. ...