On July 28, 2013, Cambodians went to
the polls in the millions, eager to cast ballots in the country’s hotly
contested National Assembly elections. Many of them, however, were improperly
turned away. Observers, who were certified by the Neutral and Impartial
Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (NICFEC), also documented
other worrisome irregularities, some indicating the use of fraud and vote
rigging. As a result of these findings, which are described in this report,
LICADHO supports calls for a genuine independent investigation and a polling
station level recount with independent observers before the results are
finalized.
This report compiles key observations
from 173 staff and partners who visited over 100 polling stations. There are 19,009 polling stations in Cambodia. As
such, this report is not intended to be a comprehensive analysis of election
day irregularities, but instead offers a snapshot revealing the need for
further investigation.
Overall, observers witnessed serious
discrepancies in an alarming percentage of the stations visited. The issues can
be grouped into three main areas: voter roll irregularities, including
inexplicably missing names and similar denials of the right to vote;
indications of intentional fraud or vote rigging; and intimidation or
harassment.
In most stations visited, LICADHO
observers spoke with individuals who had verified their registration prior to
the election day, only to find their names missing from the voter rolls upon
arrival at their polling station. Similarly, several individuals were turned
away after being told that someone else had already voted in their name – often
the earlier voter had used a commune chief-awarded identity certificate in lieu
of a photo ID. Would-be voters were also denied their right to vote on improper
bases, such as their failure to bring their voter information slip to the
polls.
Perhaps more alarmingly, LICADHO
observers determined that voter rolls at several of the polling stations
visited had been intentionally manipulated. In one, LICADHO observers spoke
with individuals who freely admitted that they were part of a large group that
had been brought to the commune to vote by their employer, despite the fact
that they had not resided or registered in that commune. LICADHO also observed
groups of well-dressed individuals arriving at certain stations in convoys of
luxury cars. In those instances, local residents approached LICADHO observers
stating that the individuals were not from the commune in question. Finally, in
Siem Reap, LICADHO observers saw mobile military units arriving to vote in new
polling stations – the units had travelled from Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear
and slept in nearby pagodas before arriving at the special stations to vote.
All of these case studies are described in detail below.
LICADHO also observed numerous
instances of disturbing intimidation. In some instances, observers heard from
residents who felt intimidated by the presence of party officials and local
authorities inside the polling stations. On occasion, those officials were
witnessed taking notes on who had voted. In Kampong Cham, LICADHO’s observer
himself was questioned at length the night before the election. LICADHO
observers also witnessed crowds at certain polling stations who were barring
individuals from voting based on their apparent ethnicity. Such discrimination
also clearly merits further investigation.
Although LICADHO was only able to visit a small
number of stations, relatively speaking, and was unable to monitor stations for
the entire duration of the Election Day, the below observations unequivocally
demonstrate the need for further in-depth investigations and additional
procedures before the vote results can be finalized.
Please download this report by clicking here
No comments:
Post a Comment