Hun Sen sets deadline for election reform talks

Election officials count votes in Prey Veng province in 2013

Election officials count votes in Prey Veng province in 2013 during the national election. Hun Sen announced yesterday that a meeting would be held by the end of the week to finalise election reform. Vireak Mai

Hun Sen sets deadline for election reform talks

Thu, 26 February 2015

Prime Minister Hun Sen set a firm two-day deadline for negotiators from his Cambodian People’s Party and the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party to finalise a new electoral reform law, a source of contention for months.

Speaking at an annual Ministry of Interior conference yesterday, the premier told the working group to finish their draft by the end of the month, noting that if they failed to do so, the old election law would remain in effect. He also offered his own suggestions for provisions of the new law, including one intended to ensure that the incidents like the opposition’s year-long boycott of parliament after the 2013 elections never happen again.

In the new law, he said, “it must be included that elected parliamentarians of any party who will not attend the meeting to convene [parliament] by the King within the 60 days after the election are considered as having abandoned their seats in the National Assembly”.

“All [parties] must not be afraid [of entering parliament], and if you are afraid, it means that you do not recognise the result of the election,” he added.

Hun Sen also spoke out on the neutrality of the police and armed forces, which he said must remain absolute, unless any party launched an attack against the government, in which case the armed forces would have to act.

“I would like to stress that the police and the military can be neutral before political parties, but if those individual political parties abuse a law, it would not be tolerated,” said Hun Sen. “If a political party attacked the Council of Ministers, then the armed forces would not be neutral, because the armed forces are a tool to protect the constitution.”

In an apparent final dig at deported activist Alex Gonzalez-Davidson, Hun Sen also told police to look out for ill-intentioned foreigners.

Kuoy Bunreoun, head of CNRP’s electoral reform working group, said the parties would commit to finishing their draft by Friday and submitting it to a top-level meeting between party leader Sam Rainsy and Interior Minister Sar Kheng, but added that the premier’s suggestions must first be vetted in terms of their constitutionality.

For your reference: Phnom Penh Post


Prime Minister Says No New NEC Unless Boycotts Barred

Prime Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday that he would not allow the new bipartisan National Election Committee (NEC) to form unless the opposition agrees to a new law that will redistribute the parliamentary seats of any party that boycotts its seats after an election.

He also again warned the opposition CNRP not to foment revolution, saying they would face the wrath of the armed forces if they did.

Opposition leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha led the CNRP’s 55 lawmakers on a 10-month boycott of their seats after the 2013 election, which they said was marred by fraud, and ended it only when Mr. Hun Sen pledged to reform the NEC for the next election.

The prime minister said Wednesday that he could not allow such a boycott to happen again, and that he would use the CPP’s numerical majority in the National Assembly to prevent the pledged reforms being legislated.

“The election law that will be put for approval in the future should be ready to state that the lawmakers of any party that doesn’t enter [parliament] when the king convenes, that will be considered an act of relinquishing the seats,” Mr. Hun Sen said.

“If you don’t enter [parliament], the NEC will distribute your seat to other political parties. This will end [problems] quickly. If not, they will not end. [The losers] will never agree [to the results],” he said.

“The second thing is that if you do not agree, the old things will be used. The NEC will be the old one and other laws will be the old ones because there will be no new things for replacement,” he said.

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សង្គម​ស៊ីវិល​ថ្កោលទោស​ការ​បញ្ចូល​មន្ត្រី​តុលាការ​និង​កង​ប្រដាប់​អាវុធ​ចូល​ក្នុង​បក្ស​នយោបាយ

សង្គម​ស៊ីវិល​ថ្កោលទោស​ការ​បញ្ចូល​មន្ត្រី​តុលាការ​និង​កង​ប្រដាប់​អាវុធ​ចូល​ក្នុង​បក្ស​នយោបាយ

ដោយ ទីន ហ្សាការីយ៉ា
2015-02-26

គល់ បញ្ញា ៦២០

លោក គល់ បញ្ញា ប្រធាន​អង្គការ​ខុមហ្វ្រែល (Comfrel) ថ្លែង​ទៅ​កាន់​អ្នក​កាសែត នៅ​សណ្ឋាគារ​អ៊ីមភើរៀល រាជធានី​ភ្នំពេញ នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី ២០ មករា ២០១៥។

RFA/Morm Moniroth

ក្រុម​សម្ព័ន្ធ​កំណែ​ទម្រង់​ការ​បោះ​ឆ្នោត​អឺរ៉ា (ERA) និង​ក្រុម​អង្គការ​សង្គម​ស៊ីវិល ចេញ​សេចក្ដី​ថ្លែងការណ៍​នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​២៦ កុម្ភៈ ថ្កោលទោស​គណបក្ស​នយោបាយ​ដែល​សំដៅ​លើ​គណបក្ស​កាន់​អំណាច ដែល​បាន​បញ្ចូល​មន្ត្រី​តុលាការ និង​មន្ត្រី​កង​រាជ​អាវុធហត្ថ ទៅ​ក្នុង​ជួរ​ថ្នាក់​ដឹក​នាំ​គណបក្ស​របស់​ខ្លួន និង​ចូលរួម​សកម្មភាព​ប្រឆាំង​បក្ស​ផ្សេង។

ការ​បញ្ចូល​នេះ គឺ​រំលោភ​រដ្ឋធម្មនុញ្ញ នីតិរដ្ឋ គោលការណ៍​ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ ពិសេស​ការ​បោះ​ឆ្នោត​ដោយ​សេរី និង​យុត្តិធម៌។

ការ​ចេញ​សេចក្ដី​ថ្លែងការណ៍​ថ្កោលទោស​នេះ នៅ​បន្ទាប់​ពី​គណបក្ស​ប្រជាជន​កម្ពុជា បាន​ធ្វើ​សមាជ​វិសាមញ្ញ​របស់​ខ្លួន​កាល​ពី​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​១ ខែ​កុម្ភៈ ឆ្នាំ​២០១៥ ធ្វើ​កំណែ​ទម្រង់​គណបក្ស​ដែល​បាន​ដាក់​បញ្ចូល​ក្រុម​យុវជន ក្នុង​នោះ​មាន​ទាំង​កូន​ថ្នាក់​ដឹក​នាំ​ជាន់​ខ្ពស់ ដូចជា​កូន​របស់ លោក ហ៊ុន សែន អនុប្រធាន​គណបក្ស​ប្រជាជន​កម្ពុជា កូន​របស់​លោក ស ខេង កូន​របស់​លោក សុខ អាន និង​កូន​របស់​លោក សាយ ឈុំ ជាដើម ទៅ​ក្នុង​គណៈកម្មាធិការ​កណ្ដាល​គណបក្ស​ប្រជាជន​កម្ពុជា។
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