Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Opposition lawmakers fear non-Cambodians are registering to vote

Opposition lawmakers fear non-Cambodians are registering to vote

Opposition lawmakers fear non-Cambodians are registering to vote

Three SRP politicians yesterday stonewalled  a conference on voter registration results organised by the Committee for Free and Fair Elections (Comfrel), complaining that Vietnamese citizens had been allowed to register to vote.

The alleged enrolment of Vietnamese citizens showed there was “no effectiveness in the working [of the NEC]” the SRP’s Kuoy Bunroeun said.

Announced voter registration numbers were more than 192 per cent above the prediction of the National Election Committee for the 2012 commune-district elections.

“The NEC’s estimate is completely wrong,” Kuoy Bunroeun said.

“This shows 100 per cent that there is no true mechanism to ensure the effectiveness of the process of free and fair elections.”

The SRP’s concern was that non-Cambodian citizens were being allowed to register to vote, Comfrel president Koul Panha clarified.

“But Comfrel has found that the ethnic Vietnamese who registered to vote have all the necessary citizenship papers,” Koul Panha told the Post.

“It is always a big controversy whenever there is an election, but you cannot do anything about it because they [the ethnic Vietnamese] have documents signed by the authorities saying that they are Cambodian citizens.

Koul Panha echoed concerns that the registered number of voters was so far off the NEC’s prediction.

“The number is surprisingly high if you consider all the flooding and natural disaster that has swept the country,” he said.

“We think it may be the case that some voters have registered at two places because people have migrated and there is no current system  . . . to delete the duplicate names.”

NEC secretary-general  Tep Nitha conceded the registration number was high and there was  probably  a fair degree of doubling-up by voters.

“The number of registrations is on the rise, but when we total the lists of overlapping names, we still expect the numbers to be increased maybe 103 to 105 per cent on the prediction. We cannot avoid small problems happening.”

MOST VIEWED

  • Joy as Koh Ker Temple registered by UNESCO

    Cambodia's Koh Ker Temple archaeological site has been officially added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17. The ancient temple, also known as Lingapura or Chok Gargyar, is located in

  • Famed US collector family return artefacts to Cambodia

    In the latest repatriation of ancient artefacts from the US, a total of 33 pieces of Khmer cultural heritage will soon return home, according to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. In a September 12 press statement, it said the US Attorney’s Office for the

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • Kampot curfew imposed to curb ‘gang’ violence

    Kampot provincial police have announced measures to contain a recent spike in antisocial behaviour by “unruly’ youth. Officials say the province has been plagued by recent violence among so-called “gang members”, who often fight with weapons such as knives and machetes. Several social observers have

  • PM outlines plans to discuss trade, policy during US visit

    Prime Minister Hun Manet is set to meet with senior US officials and business leaders during his upcoming visit to the US for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), scheduled for September 20. While addressing nearly 20,000 workers in Kampong Speu province, Manet said he aims to affirm

  • Manet touches down in Beijing for high-level meetings

    Prime Minister Hun Manet arrived in Beijing on September 14 for his first official visit to China, where he is slated to attend the 20th China-ASEAN Expo and meet other leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping. Upon his arrival, Manet laid a wreath at the Monument