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Democratic Process of the 2022 Commune/Sangkat Council Election Assessed as Free, Fair and Just

PHNOM PENH: The Chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, Propaganda and Information, Sous Yara, held a briefing on the democratic process of the 5th Mandate Commune/Sangkat Council Election with various Ambassadors to the Kingdom of Cambodia, at the National Assembly building, on Wednesday afternoon (8 June).

According to Sous Yara, this election process was assessed as free, fair, and just, and also shows the maturity of political parties and voters in Cambodia. He said this election was non-threatening and non-violent, and in stark contrast to the elections held in 1993, when 440 people were killed in its surrounding violence. Since then, he said instances of violence have greatly reduced, as evidenced in the 2017 and 2018 elections, and especially during the 2022 election.

For the 5th Mandate Commune/Sangkat Council Election, Sous Yara said that in addition to the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), there were other parties that also won seats, including the main opposition, the Candlelight Party. According to preliminary results, the Candlelight Party received nearly 20% of votes, and are the party with the second highest number of votes behind the CPP.

NEC Member, Dim Sovannarom, also said at the briefing that the election on Sunday, 5 June, was smooth, safe, and non-threatening, reflecting the steady progress of democracy in Cambodia.

Providing an overview of the day of election voting, he said it was noteworthy that, "23,602 polling stations at 1,652 communes nationwide simultaneously opened at 7 am for all eligible voters to exercise their right to vote in favor of one of 17 running political parties." According to preliminary results, at least nine political parties were able to win seats in this Commune/Sangkat Council Election, reflecting the steady progress of democracy in Cambodia.

He further outlined how the 2022 election was conducted in four stages, including digitized voter registration, party and political candidate registration, the election campaign period, and finally, the vote count.

"The NEC has taken up seven principles of independence, neutrality, impartiality, integrity, transparency, efficiency, professionalism, and service-mindedness," he said. "[In this case], before the NEC adopted the regulations and procedures for this commune council 2022, the NEC asked for comments and recommendations from a total of 89 institutions, showcasing the NEC's cooperative work with all stakeholders in an objective manner.”

The briefing meeting was attended by members of the National Assembly, representatives and Ambassadors to the Kingdom of Cambodia from 31 countries, representatives of international organizations, including the UNDP and the World Bank, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Information, and the National Election Committee.

The 5th Commune/Sangkat Council Election was held on Sunday, 5 June, with 17 parties competing for 11,622 Commune/Sangkat seats nationwide from 1,652 Communes. The preliminary results released by the NEC show that more than 7.3 million people went to vote for the election, equivalent to more than 80% of the 9.2 million registered voters.



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