PHNOM PENH: The National Election Committee (NEC) held a groundbreaking ceremony for its headquarters on a confiscated plot of land in Phnom Penh’s Tonle Bassac District, which formerly housed political opposition member Kong Korm, who ceded his land to the government in January 2023 after former Prime Minister Hun Sen accused him of fraudulently claiming the land as private property.

The groundbreaking ceremony marks the one-year anniversary of the state taking back Kong Korm's land and was presided over by NEC Chairman Prach Chan and his wife, as well as senior officials of the NEC.

NEC spokesman Dim Sovannarom stated, "It is a solid building that proves the roots of democracy in the Kingdom of Cambodia through elections."

The Anti-Corruption Unit completed an investigation of Kong Korm’s encroachment on state land on the evening of January 12, 2023. Kong Korm, who at the time was an advisor to the Candlelight Party, subsequently handed over 5,290 square meters to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The land is estimated to be worth over $10 million and was handed over to the NEC, the organization that finalized the ban of the Candlelight Party in July’s elections. As the only major opposition party, the Candlelight Party was barred from entering the election due to “insufficient paperwork.” Kong Korm is the father of senior Candlelight Party official Kong Monika.