Elections

If we closely follow the previous political statements of the leaders of the opposition party, we’ve rarely heard from Mr. Sam Rainsy and Mr. Kem Sokha about the protection of the royalist regime but much about “change.” Also, the media people have never bravely asked ...

A lack of identification papers is the key obstacle preventing ethnic Vietnamese living in Kompong Chhnang province from enjoying the same rights as Khmer citizens, according to a survey released Tuesday. In the new report, the Minority Rights Organization (MIRO) found that ethnic Vietnamese are often ...

During the third meeting of the joint-party Electoral Reform Commission on Monday, the ruling CPP and opposition CNRP agreed to 14 points for future discussion, but failed to address the central issue of reforming the National Election Committee. The CNRP entered the first round of talks ...

Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh on Tuesday offered grave warnings to anyone who “tries to topple the current government.” The minister appeared to be addressing the opposition, which has said it will call for mass demonstrations if election reform is not enacted by the ruling Cambodian ...

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy has urged the Australian Government to lead an international campaign to help Cambodia “see democracy,” the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported Tuesday. ...

Cambodia’s ruling and opposition parties have agreed to consider a 14-point election reform agenda aimed at ending months of political deadlock, including a contentious proposal to revamp the country’s main electoral body, representatives said Tuesday. The initial agreement was forged at the third round of talks ...

Joint Committee of CPP and CNRP has agreed to include 14 points into framework of election reforms after a meeting today at the Senate. Among the 14 points, they agreed on the election of village chiefs in the future. ...

Negotiators for Cambodia’s ruling and opposition parties say they have reached agreements on key points of election reform, moving past a potential breakdown in talks last week. But they did not agree on an overhaul of the National Election Committee, widely seen as biased toward ...

The European Union has called on Cambodia to release 21 jailed activists and protesters and told the government during high level talks held here this week that a failure to reform the judiciary and electoral process could have severe consequences for the ruling party by ...

Cambodia’s opposition has written a formal request to the country’s ruling party, requesting an agreement to reform the national election body before political negotiations resume on Monday. The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party wants a two-thirds majority vote on members of the National Election Committee, which ...

A day after opposition leader Sam Rainsy said election reform talks were being “cut off” due to ruling party intransigence on the issue of National Election Committee reform, the opposition has asked the Cambodian People’s Party to officially declare its stance on the matter. Senior CPP ...

Officials from the ruling CPP said Wednesday that a series of public forums announced by Prime Minister Hun Sen earlier this year, which he said would help gather input for his promised plans to introduce widespread political reform, are now being held around the country. The ...

Negotiations between the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party and ruling Cambodian People’s Party looked like they might screech to an abrupt halt yesterday, as opposition leaders visiting supporters in Tbong Khmum province said they will “cut off” talks. Speaking to about 1,000 supporters in the province’s ...

The Committee for Free and Fair Election in Cambodia (Comfrel) urged the 55 lawmakers of Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) to join the National Assembly in order to reform the National Election Committee (NEC). “Lawmakers of CNRP have to join the National Assembly, or there ...

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy warned that the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) would stop negotiation with the Cambodian People’s Party if there is no agreement on reform of members of National Election Committee (NEC). The CPP and CNRP failed to issue joint statement in their ...

The main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) threatened Tuesday to call off talks aimed at breaking an eight-month political deadlock with Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party, accusing it of using the negotiations to cling on to power. CNRP chief Sam Rainsy said his party ...

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Tuesday that political negotiations with the ruling party have hit an impasse. The ruling Cambodian People’s Party “refuses to discuss any changes to the composition of the electoral commission,” he wrote in an open letter to the diplomatic community. The National Election ...

Emerging from a meeting on electoral reform Monday, senior ruling party lawmaker Cheam Yeap said that the government is considering modifying Cambodia’s nationality law to ban those with dual citizenship from running for the office of prime minister. Mr. Yeap, who represented the CPP at the ...

The opposition CNRP met with civil society groups and NGOs on Friday and asked for recommendations ahead of resuming electoral reform talks with the ruling CPP on Monday. “We wanted to ask civil society for their ideas,” CNRP President Sam Rainsy said after the meeting. The ...

Senior official from the ruling Cambodian People’s Party called on authorities to take action against CNRP senior member whose vehicles still use fourth mandate number plates, which are invalid. The National Assembly was ready to deliver the new number plates to the CNRP’s elected lawmakers ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodia People’s Party (CPP) on Monday rejected an opposition proposal to revamp the country’s electoral body as they met for a third round of talks aimed at breaking a seven-month political deadlock following disputed polls. Opposition leader Sam Rainsy’s Cambodia National ...

The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party will hold a seminar this morning on election reform to “seek input” from civil society and election monitors ahead of the second meeting of a bipartisan election reform committee on Monday. According to an invitation issued on Tuesday, the CNRP ...

The Opposition leader reaffirmed that the Cambodia National Rescue Party would not join the National Assembly until there is an agreement on new election. “We will not join the Assembly until there is an agreement on the holding of a new election,” Sam Rainsy said in ...

An increasing number of NGOs in Cambodia are facing the prospect of budget cuts, with money from foreign donors decreasing as a political deadlock continues. Cambodia’s robust civil society relies on donor countries, but some have postponed funding while the country’s two rival political parties remain ...