Current Political Situation
On April 1, 2007, Cambodia held council elections for its 1,621 communes and urban sub-districts (sangkats). More citizens stood as candidates than in any other election in Cambodian electoral history – 12 political parties fielded a total of 102,266 candidates to compete for 11,353 council seats.
The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) obtained 61 percent of the popular vote and retained its control of most commune councils, taking 1,591 of the 1,621 council chief positions. The Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), taking approximately 25 percent of the popular vote, doubled its number of council seats from the last election and is now represented in more than 90 percent of the councils. Following the removal of party president Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the royalist National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC) party won only five percent of the vote versus the 20 percent it attained in the 2002 elections. Prince Ranariddh’s party, the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), took 10 percent of the popular vote despite the prince’s absence during the campaign period and on election day.
These elections were a significant improvement over Cambodia’s first local elections held in 2002 – the National Election Committee (NEC) administered election day procedures with greater efficiency – and there was a considerable decrease in the level of violence and intimidation during the election period. However, in the face of these developments, a number of serious problems continue to affect Cambodia’s electoral system. Voter turnout, at 68 percent of registered voters, was at a historic low for Cambodia. Observers speculated that the incomplete distribution of voter information notices, problems with voter registration, and voter apathy may have contributed to the low turnout.
NDI Programs for the April 2007 Polls
For these elections, NDI conducted a series of programs to help strengthen accountability systems for the elections, provide a more level-playing field for political parties, and increase access to election and candidate information.
Candidate Debates
With its local partners, NDI conducted 31 candidate debates in 10 provinces throughout the country. The debates were attended by more than 18,500 citizens and heard by thousands more through national and international radio broadcasts. Of the 12 parties registered to compete in this election, 10 chose to participate in NDI’s debate program. The debates provided a rare venue for each of the parties to take questions from the electorate and promote their respective platforms.
Party Poll Agent Training
The Institute also implemented a party poll agent training program for the parties and distributed training kits, election observation manuals, and checklists to assist parties in their poll observation preparations. Parties mobilized more than 95,000 poll agents on election day to observe the polling and counting processes.
Support for Domestic Election Monitoring
Further election safeguards were provided by over 5,000 independent and neutral election observers deployed by NDI’s domestic election monitoring partners, the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL) and the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (NICFEC). These organizations also monitored the period before and after the elections for irregularities and non-compliance with election laws.
Support for Women Candidates
A record number of women – 21 percent of all candidates – ran in this election. To promote the profile and enhance the skills of women candidates, NDI worked with political party trainers to provide instruction to women candidates on the commune electoral law, public speaking, leadership building, message development, and campaign organizing skills. In addition, NDI held a series of Women’s Forums throughout the county to mark International Women’s Day. The forums were aimed at promoting women's political participation and providing women leaders with a chance to speak in public, many for the first time. Political parties delegated women leaders, in most cases commune council candidates, to speak at the forums.
NDI Programs for the July 2008 Polls
Voter Registration Audit
On July 27, 2008, Cambodia will hold elections for the National Assembly. In preparation for that election, NDI conducted a Voter Registration Audit prior to the National Elections Commission’s (NEC) annual voters list revision and updating period in September and October 2007. The audit, which was conducted with NICFEC, COMFREL, and the Center for Advance Study (CAS), found that though the NEC’s estimation of the number of unregistered votes was accurate, a significant proportion of voters may have relocated. Thus, these organizations urged the NEC to be cautious when deleting names during the list clean-up process. More details on the audit findings can be found in NDI’s Access Democracy document library.
Other Ongoing Programs
Constituency Dialogues
NDI’s constituency dialogue program works with local civil society partners Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Speu, Kampong Thom, Kampot, Kandal, Prey Veng, and Siem Reap. The program brings together constituents and members of the National Assembly to exchange information and develop strategies to address citizen concerns. For citizens, the constituency dialogues are a means of voicing their concerns as well as understanding the roles and responsibilities of the National Assembly and elected officials. Parliamentarians use the dialogues to better understand the issues facing their constituents. NDI broadcasts the recorded dialogues on several Cambodian radio stations.
NGO Capacity Building
NDI is working with partner NGOs in 10 provinces to strengthen civil society organizations through capacity-building training. The training focuses on dispute resolution, negotiation, advocacy skills, organizational management, organizational sustainability, networking, proposal writing, fundraising, and communication skills. Many of these partner NGOs are also undertaking programs to promote citizens' participation.
Past NDI Programs
NDI began its work in Cambodia in 1992, working with civic organizations, political parties, and the National Assembly. Following the violent changes in the government in 1997, NDI increased its efforts to monitor the political environment and focused international attention on the need for fundamental changes in Cambodia’s political climate to allow competitive elections.
In 1998, NDI collaborated with the International Republican Institute (IRI) in organizing a 60-member observation team to monitor the national elections. The Institute also worked with domestic election monitoring groups – COMFREL and NICFEC – to promote reforms in electoral legislation. In the lead-up to the 2002 commune council elections, NDI provided technical assistance to Cambodian election monitoring organizations throughout the electoral process. The Institute also collaborated with local NGOs during the campaign period to organize Cambodia’s first candidate debates. Seven of the eight registered political parties participated in debates held in six communes around the country.
For the 2003 National Assembly elections, NDI and its local partners undertook extensive programs to support transparent and inclusive political processes. These programs included: organizing the first television program focused on a discussion of electoral and public policy issues; working with political party activists on campaign skills; launching a multi-party candidate debate program; leading an initiative for security sector reform; negotiating a code of conduct for political parties for the 2003 campaign; and providing technical and advisory assistance to the SRP during their successful introduction of internal party democracy, including direct elections of their leaders. NDI supported COMFREL and NICFEC’s first ever deployment of long term domestic election observers in Cambodia, monitored the voter registration process, and funded and assisted with COMFREL's audit of the voters' list. Following the elections, NDI supported COMFREL and NICFEC on the Parliament Watch program – a program designed to monitor legislative developments and the performance of parliamentarians at the provincial and district levels.
Support for Women and Youth in Politics
NDI worked with the women and youth wings of political parties to strengthen women and youth leadership. Each of the three major parties has participated in NDI’s program activities, including the Political Organizers Academy. This training of trainers program helps increase parties’ capacities to organize effectively and to implement democratic concepts. More than 140 individuals from the country’s three major parties have participated in this training program.
Funding
NDI’s programs in Cambodia are funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
For further information please contact:
Jerome Cheung, Resident Country Director Send Email
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