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In a diverse range of countries, candidate debates have become an increasingly effective means of promoting fair electoral competition and enhancing civic education efforts. In environments where leaders are more often chosen on the basis of personality, religion or ethnicity, such forums help voters make more informed choices at the ballot box.
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Public access, transparency and balance of power in government were among topics covered in a recent study mission to the United States by members of the Cambodian National Assembly (MPs) seeking to strengthen democracy in their country.
The MPs visited both the U.S. Congress and the Maryland State Capitol in Annapolis in a collaborative effort between NDI and the Institute for Representative Government.
Cambodia
The 2008 parliamentary elections resulted in the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) securing 90 of the 123 seats in the National Assembly. This victory affirmed the party’s control for another five years, supported the continued rule of Prime Minister Hun Sen, and allowed the party enough seats to govern without a coalition. Opposition parties, including the Sam Rainsy Party and the Human Rights Party, questioned the electoral results and raised formal charges against the CPP on widespread electoral misconduct, including voter impersonation, harassment and vote buying. Given this electoral outcome, Cambodian and international political observers expressed concerns about the continued domination of a single party in parliament, and the limited checks on future legislative activity.
While the ruling CPP has increasingly steered the country toward less political pluralism, with new laws passed to curb dissent among the opposition and in the media, NDI continues its collaboration with political parties and civil society dedicated to democracy and transparency. Over the past year, NDI has worked with local partners to host constituency dialogues (CDs).
Under the constituency dialogue program, NDI, local NGO partners, and non-partisan community volunteers from each district organize and facilitate dialogues at the grassroots level to discuss community problems with their elected Members of the National Assembly (MNAs). During the dialogues, citizens raise community issues of concern and MNAs respond providing their solutions and ideas. Based on requests from both the MNAs and local partners, commune councilors or other provincial or local authorities will be invited to each dialogue and given the opportunity to respond to specific issues that fall under their jurisdiction, with the approval of the moderator and the participating MNAs.
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