Democracy About More Than Polling Day
The U.N.’s envoy for freedom of assembly on Tuesday presented a report to the U.N. General Assembly that calls for an approach to election monitoring that looks beyond polling day to assess whether elections in countries such as Cambodia are “free and fair.” The report, compiled by Maina Kiai, the U.N.’s special rapporteur on the freedoms of peaceful assembly and of association, says that election monitoring that focuses only on the freedom present on polling day can give false impressions of a functioning democracy. The report says that respect for an opposition party’s rights to gather safely and without fear are key to rendering the ritual of election day as genuine. … Mr. Kiai concluded that election monitors should pay closer attention to what happens in the lead-up to an election before declaring it free and fair. “Democracy is a year-round job, not a one-off ritual that happens on election day,” he said. CPP spokesman Cheam Yeap on Thursday dismissed claims that the government does not respect freedom of association, citing the CNRP’s two three-day mass demonstrations held last month and in September. “In the demonstrations, they curse and criticize the winning party, and hold the winning party hostage—what do they want now?” Mr. Yeap said. …
Alex Willemyns and Mech Dara
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/democracy-about-more-than-polling-day-46461/
