Report Says Election Results Not Reflective of People’s Will
Transparency International Cambodia (TIC) on Thursday concluded in a report that official results of the July 28 national election released by the National Election Committee (NEC) do not reflect the will of the people due to widespread irregularities occurring both before and on election day. The report, which is based on observations from 906 observers sent to monitor 409 polling stations in Cambodia’s 24 provinces and municipalities, states that voters with proper identification documents were unable to find their names on the voter list and were turned away at 60 percent of stations. … The organization flagged a number of issues including the questionable use of the Identification Certificate for Elections (ICE) form, which is issued to people who have lost or do not have an ID card allowing them to vote. Despite repeated requests from concerned monitors, the NEC has refused to divulge the commune-level distribution numbers for ICE forms—something observers have said is problematic due to the possible fraudulent use of such forms. According to election observers, approximately 1 million ICE forms were issued between the end of the voter registration period and election day. … NEC Secretary-General Tep Nytha said he had not read the report though he noted that commune-level ICE information was posted in communes before the elections.
Lauren Crothers
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/elections/report-says-election-results-not-reflective-of-peoples-will-42808/
