Donors to help set up poll rolls
Donors to help set up poll rolls
Thu, 14 May 2015 Taing Vida
The Phnom Penh Post: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/
A man looks at a registered voters list in Phnom Penh during the 2013 elections. A new committee has been formed by the NEC which will work with the EU and Japan to implement election reforms. Hong Menea
The Electoral Reform Alliance has urged experts from Japan and the European Union not to shy away from addressing “severely undemocratic” provisions of Cambodia’s new election law when they meet with National Election Committee members next week.
The new bipartisan NEC, approved in April, this week set up an ad hoc committee to coordinate work with donors such as the EU and Japan, which have agreed to help the body organise new, digital voter lists, NEC spokesman Hang Puthea said yesterday.
The committee, announced on Monday, will be led by NEC vice president Kuoy Bunroeun and include Em Sophat, selected deputy of the committee, Duch Son, Hing Thirith, Mean Satik and Puthea.
It will meet the EU team next Wednesday and the Japanese delegation on Thursday to discuss voter registration ahead of commune and national elections in 2017 and 2018, respectively, Puthea said.
“We want to use computers in every commune to identify voters’ thumbprints and photos to prevent repeat registration and confirm the location of registration in order to avoid the problem where people lose their names, register again and they do not know where they can vote,” Puthea said, adding the digital system would reduce irregularities.
Although welcoming the support to modernise the voter lists, Koul Panha, executive director of election watchdog Comfrel, said it was imperative that Japan and the EU also use their roles to advise the NEC against using the new election law to suppress citizen’s political rights.
“They need to work not just as technical support, but work to make sure there is a free and fair environment in Cambodia for elections,” said Panha, also an ERA spokesman, pointing to provisions that restrict NGOs and levy fines for “insulting” political parties or candidates.