PHNOM PENH: The day after Cambodia’s 7th National Assembly Election, dozens of international observers released their official accounts of their experience on Election Day. The Chinese Communist Party and international political delegations made of members from Iran, Sri Lanka, North and South Korea, and even a former US Republican congressman have all given high praise to Cambodia’s “peaceful, transparent, and free” elections.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) praised everything from the election, to Cambodia’s Covid-19 response and its continued promotion of democracy. “Cambodia has always impressed us with its performance in organising elections and promoting democracy,” it said in a July 23 statement. “We have also observed that the political parties were free to run their campaigns. People are free from fear of violence and intimidation,” it noted. The CCP also said that Cambodia’s digital voter registration which creates voter lists with a photo “deserves applause.”

The CCP was among many observers who mirrored statements from the Cambodian government that interpreted the high number of voter turnout as indicating, “The trust and values Cambodians place in their election system.”

During their stay, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs heard briefings from the Cambodian Government and its National Election Committee, and observed voting and ballot-counting at polling stations. The ministry found, “the organization of the election was professional and efficient, and the campaigning, voting and ballot-counting [were] peaceful and orderly.”

“China firmly supports Cambodian people's choice of development path that suits Cambodia's national conditions. It is believed that the election will contribute to Cambodia's democracy and sustainable economic and social development.”

A delegation from the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), headed by Mushahid Hussain Sayed, was one of the first to arrive for observations, and was able to see the last day of the campaign season. ICAPP was very impressed with what they saw and Mr. Hussain praised the transformation of Cambodia from “killing fields” to “flourishing fields.”

The Centrist Asia-Pacific Democrats International (CAPDI), formerly Christian Democrat International (CDI), includes political parties from China, North Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Russia, and Pakistan. In a press release from July 24, their representatives lauded the achievements of Cambodia’s election, which it said were conducted in a “peaceful, transparent and free” manner.

Former US Congressman Dan Burton was in Cambodia on behalf of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) and was pleased to see the direction Cambodia has taken. “[It’s] great to see Cambodia becoming a democratic country, a democracy, and I wish we saw more of this in the world,” said Burton. “I've talked to several people here and they think the government’s doing a great job.”

So far, none of the international observers have released any major criticism of this year’s election, despite accusations from other countries and institutions that the election was effectively unopposed and stacked in the Cambodian People’s Party’s favor. However, the observers claim to have only been in Cambodia to ensure that the election itself was conducted in accordance with democratic standards, which they widely agreed it was.