Cambodian NGOs Call for Election Committee Selected By Neutral Body

Cambodia’s National Election Committee (NEC), which oversees the country’s polls, should be revamped with representatives picked by an independent panel in a transparent manner with the involvement of all stakeholders, a group of non-governmental organizations said in a report after investigating the latest disputed elections. The Election Reform Alliance (ERA), consisting of eight nongovernmental organizations, said in the report that election reform must begin with the government-appointed NEC, which officially declared Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) the victor in the July 28 polls despite opposition allegations of fraud and other irregularities. “The National Election Committee should be dismantled and a new, independent, and constitutionally-mandated election commission should be created with the authority, comprehensive jurisdiction, and budget to operate effectively,” the report said. … Rights groups and the opposition have long held that the NEC heavily favors the ruling party, pointing out that the commission’s headquarters are even based inside the Ministry of the Interior’s compound. Director of Comfrel Koul Panha told RFA’s Khmer Service that revamping the NEC was essential to preventing irregularities in future votes. … The ERA said that to advance electoral reform efforts, a full review of all election information should be conducted, requiring the cooperation and participation of the NEC, which in turn should make relevant data and documents publicly available. It called on political parties “to take steps to ensure electoral integrity on behalf of the public” so that the parties can effectively use elections to resolve their competition for governmental power. …

 Radio Free Asia News Staff
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/committee-12132013175611.html