Opposition Parties Ask EU for Fair Elections
- From: "Chim" <ChimS1@xxxxxxx>
- Date: 5 Mar 2007 13:30:53 -0800
Opposition Parties Ask EU for Fair Elections
VOA Khmer
Washington
05/03/2007
The opposition parties of Sam Rainsy and Prince Norodom Ranariddh
called on the European Union Monday to guarantee fair commune
elections next month.
The EU is donor for the elections, scheduled for April 1, and should
ensure they will be independent and neutral, party officials said in
meetings Monday with Seamus Gillespie, an EU representative in
Cambodia.
"I ask the international community that assists both in the budget and
expertise in the election to ensure there will be neither cheating nor
discrimination in setting voters' right," Sam Rainsy said.
The government's National Election Committee has been criticized of
being biased toward Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party, the
Cambodian People's Party, but the committee says it operates fairly.
"We appeal for the EU to put pressure, so Prince Ranariddh can safely
come back to Cambodia and so that his party can campaign everywhere,
like other parties," Ok Socheat, the prince's advisor said Monday.
Ranariddh is reportedly in France, following charges in Cambodia that
he sold the headquarters of his old party, Funcinpec.
The April elections will determine leaders in all of Cambodia's more
than 1,600 communes, but elections in the country are typically marred
by violence. The opposition says the elections are tipped in the favor
of the CPP, despite efforts to make the campaigning fair.
SRP officials alleged over the weekend that CPP candidates were
already campaigning in Pursat province, ahead of the mandated March 16
start date.
Huon Chanthuon, an SRP commune council chief in the province, said CPP
officials gathered villagers from Thmey Khum Talo Srok Bakan for a
meeting where everyone received 2,000 riel for showing up. CPP
officials rejected the charges, saying they only paid for noodles for
the villages. NEC Secretary-General Tep Nitha said this was not a
major problem.
.
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