VZCZCXRO4971
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #0565/01 1931351
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111351Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 PHNOM PENH 000565 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, P, D, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM CB
SUBJECT: CAMBODIA'S NATIONAL ELECTION COMMITTEE IMPROVING 
WITH AGE 
 
REF: PHNOM PENH 554 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. HANDLE ACCORDINGLY. 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY:  Charged with organizing the National 
Assembly election every five years, the National Election 
Committee (NEC) has assumed greater responsibilities since 
its first outing in 1998, just as the Royal Cambodian 
Government has assumed a greater budget burden to support an 
electoral organization that arose out of the UN-supported and 
fully-funded election in 1993.  When up to 8,100,000 
registered voters go to the polls on July 27, most will have 
better ID's, they will be better informed about their roles 
and the sanctity of the secret ballot, and they will enjoy an 
environment with fewer shortcomings or hindrances to a free 
and fair process than in past elections, including less 
opportunities for ghost voters.  The NEC has not only made 
better logistical preparations in the electoral hardware at 
more than 15,000 polling stations, but it has also made some 
advances in the software behind the scenes.  The nine-member 
NEC Committee, nominally non-partisan but drawn from the 
various political parties, may not be entirely free of 
outside influence, but it appears to be setting a new more 
transparent course with some increased efforts to shape a 
better electoral climate.  In this 30-day election campaign 
period, the NEC will consider complaints about violations of 
the Election Law (88 filed since the campaign began on June 
26) and can mete out fines or withdraw voting rights.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
Register More Voters, Get Rid of Ghost Voters 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Elections in Cambodia begin with the five-week 
registration process in the fall, where voters can check that 
their names have been carried forward from the last voter 
list, correct name spellings, or transfer their right to a 
new commune.  The registration process was considered a 
relative success in most provinces, with the sign-up of more 
youths who are 18 by the time of the election.  At the same 
time, the NEC published the names of 503,470 persons it 
planned to remove from the registration lists and took 
petitions to remove another 82,253 voters who had died since 
the last election.  An NDI survey showed that over 85 percent 
of all eligible voters were registered in 2007 and showed a 
high degree of accuracy in name and address capture, thus 
ensuring fewer voters are turned away on election day. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  The voter deletion list was more problematic. 
While more than 500,000 names were properly deleted -- 
dramatically reducing the chances of ghost voters assuming an 
unused name on a voter list -- it appears that about 49,000 
living voters were culled from the 8.1 million eligible to 
vote, according to an NDI sample survey.  (NOTE:  NDI's 
survey data showed 57,000 improperly deleted, but was flawed 
according to an NEC follow-up review of the voters NDI had 
identified as being alive in its sample survey.  NEC found a 
number of those voters had duplicate registrations and so 
were still eligible to vote; a few were in fact deceased - 
NDI had found voters with a similar name. END NOTE.) 
 
IDs Help Voters Cast their Vote 
------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU)  In close cooperation with the NEC, the Ministry of 
Interior undertook a massive program this past year to issue 
more national identity cards, one of about ten types of 
identification that are accepted on election day when 
admitting a voter to the polling station.  Because they are 
standardized and have security features, National ID cards 
are favored and ease access.  With support from the UNDP, 
more than 700,000 id cards were produced in the last 18 
months, though some 80,00 had not yet been distributed by the 
end of May.  (COMMENT:  Anecdotal accounts indicate this 
shortcoming is more the product of standard rent seeking 
behavior by poorly paid police, who charge a small 
administrative fee at the local police stations for this and 
virtually all other services.  Those who choose not to pay 
the fee may not get their ID's quickly. END COMMENT.) 
 
Give Voters the Information They Need 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  A stronger suit at the NEC has been its growing 
role during the 30-day campaign period in producing voter 
education information and in overseeing media handling of 
issues forums, party debates, news coverage of campaigns, 
political advertising, and general media access.  On TVK 
state-run national television, four hours a day are devoted 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000565  002 OF 004 
 
 
to the daytime airing (and prime time re-broadcasting) of a 
two-hour show that alternates between an issues roundtable 
one day and a series of party campaign ads the next day. 
Each of the 11 political parties gets 10 minutes for its ad. 
As reported (Ref A), a total of 22 NDI-sponsored candidate 
debates will be broadcast on TV and radio.  Each evening an 
"Equity News" show on TVK airs about 20 minutes of 
campaign-related news just after the regular news slot.  This 
TV news coverage is allotted by an NEC-approved formula that 
favors the established three parties (CPP, FUNCINPEC and 
SRP), gives more time to the next five parties who have 
candidates in all the provinces, and provides a sliver of 
broadcast time to the remaining parties with fewer seats 
fielded. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  All media outlets have the right to sell political 
advertising space, as long as it is made equally available to 
all parties at the same cost.  No television stations have 
chosen to sell such time.  Instead, a few TV stations have 
donated a limited amount of free time to all of the parties. 
All 11 parties receive a total of 30 hours of radio airtime 
on two radio stations during the 30-day campaign period. 
Five parties purchased daily, hour-long programs on three 
separate popular FM stations.  In addition to overseeing 
media access to the parties, the NEC has done a good job of 
airing get-out-the-vote messages appealing to the largely 
rural electorate with country song and dance routines that 
appeal to Cambodians' cultural preference for group 
activities.  These have been carefully neutral messages that 
emphasize voting as a patriotic act.  In addition, posters 
and signs have emphasized important information related to 
election day. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  The Voter Information Notice (VIN) is a good 
example of improved performance by the NEC and its associated 
Provincial and Commune Election Committees (PECs and CECs). 
The VIN gives simple information on the voter's polling 
station and a unique voter number that will make it easy to 
confirm the voter's name on the voter lists at the polls. 
More than 85 percent of the VIN's have been distributed to 
voters already and the remainder are available at the CEC. 
Since a significant minority of voters could not find their 
polling station during the Commune Council elections in 2007, 
the VIN serves a useful purpose. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  The NEC showed its new more forward-leaning 
posture on July 8 when it issued a statement decrying rumors 
that voters without VIN's will not be able to cast their 
ballots.  (NOTE:  Village chiefs in some villages played this 
trick in the 2007 Commune Council elections.  The 
predominantly CPP-appointed chiefs withheld VIN's from voters 
suspected of not supporting CPP, stating that the voter thus 
lost the right to vote.  END NOTE.)  This year, the NEC is 
proactively countering these practices, noting they are 
against the law, and is clearly explaining voters' rights on 
election day. 
 
Logistics and Hardware in Place for Biggest Election Ever 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  With assistance from the UNDP, the NEC will ensure 
that its 91,530 poll station workers are ready on July 27 to 
conduct a smooth election operation in 15,254 polling 
stations nationwide.  The NEC conducted poll operation and 
vote counting training of PEC master trainers on July 1-3. 
The provincial-level training has begun.  Guides on the 
electoral law and ethics guidelines for police and security 
officials (who provide security to polling stations), and 
observers have been published and distributed.  At the end of 
June the NEC had registered 15,642 national election 
observers (NICFEC and COMFREL are the preeminent Cambodian 
observing organizations), 256 international observers, 348 
journalists, and 35,061 political party agents from six 
political parties. (NOTE:  The Embassy will field 45 
two-person observer teams nationwide on election day. END 
NOTE.)  Observers and party agents are able to witness the 
entire election process at polling stations including vote 
counting.  A total of 10,450,000 sequentially numbered 
ballots printed with security features are being distributed 
to the provinces, and measures are in place to account for 
all ballot sheets at the close of polls.  An indelible India 
ink will be applied to the fingers of all voters to prevent 
multiple voting on poll day. 
 
RGC Assumes More Responsibility; NEC's Better "Software" 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU)  The RGC has assumed about two thirds of the 
election budget of close to $17 million.  Of the $6.7 million 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000565  003 OF 004 
 
 
requested from donors, there is a reported shortfall of about 
$600,000.  Japan is the largest donor, providing $2.9 
million.  According to UNDP chief election advisor Aamir 
Arain, the NEC's most significant improvement since last 
year's commune elections has been to take command of efforts 
to conceptualize the electoral process and produce the 
information and training associated with it.  While the RGC 
still needs help in the final production of high-quality 
information materials, they required very little assistance 
with the intellectual effort.  Arain praised this achievement 
as a break-through for the NEC.  The NEC literally has better 
software, with a strong IT department that has helped produce 
complete voter and candidate lists available to all online or 
through CD's, as well as posting poll station locations and 
quickly posting NEC decisions. 
 
¶11.  (SBU)  Arain had less praise for the legal framework in 
which the NEC works -- wondering if the NEC has enough 
independence -- but was optimistic that further improvements 
could be made in the election law and its application after 
this election cycle.  In the meantime, the NEC secretariat 
seems to be staying on top of the complaints mechanism and 
trying to push for speedy resolution of campaign squabbles at 
the local level.  As of July 9, a total of 88 complaints had 
been filed at all levels, a significant drop from the 
hundreds filed in the same period in the 2003 national 
election.  At least one offender has been fined over $1000 in 
a case of vote-buying.  Of the 88 complaints, 35 are at the 
commune level, 40 complaints are with the PEC and 13 are with 
the NEC.  The NEC committee of nine members will meet next 
week to begin to adjudicate the national-level complaints and 
appeals from decisions at the lower levels. 
 
NEC - More Balanced or Under Less Pressure? 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶12. (SBU)  Early decisions of the NEC (which has minority 
representation by FUNCINPEC and Sam Rainsy Party members who 
like all other NEC members are supposed to forswear party 
allegiances while serving) indicate a more neutral leaning 
than in the past.  For example, the NEC ruled in favor of a 
strict equity principle for parties participating in debates, 
versus using a formula that might favor the three largest 
parties with representation in parliament (CPP, FUNCINPEC, or 
SRP).  The NEC's public statements against potential election 
tricks also seem to indicate a more vigorous oversight role 
than in the past, especially since many tricks emanate from 
CPP-dominated local party operatives who have little 
understanding and less appreciation for the finer points of 
clean election campaigning.  Complaints of an NEC tilt toward 
CPP from the militant wings of opposition parties 
notwithstanding, the NEC appears to be seeking a judicious 
balance in this election. 
 
¶13.  (SBU)  SRP candidate in Kampot Mu Sochua's complaint 
regarding government officials using state vehicles is a 
classic example of a legitimate complaint being carefully 
handled by the NEC.  (NOTE:  This case is also garnering 
uninformed coverage by some press. END NOTE.)  Mu Sochua's 
original complaint -- that a border police official was 
preparing to use a state car for a CPP rally -- was taken, 
but the CEC noted that the offender had not joined the 
celebration precisely because his violation was discovered 
and photographed before the event, while he was eating 
breakfast.  Mu Sochua placed herself physically in front of 
the big landcruiser to block its departure.  She is now 
claiming that the ensuing scuffle to remove her from in front 
of the car was a form of campaign violence and intimidation. 
The NEC is preparing to hear Mu Sochua's appeal on this and 
another case where she placed herself in front of a state 
motorcycle and was "almost" run over. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶14.  (SBU)  Given the strong consensus among local observers 
that the CPP stands to gain more seats in this election (as 
does the Sam Rainsy Party), the NEC is under less pressure to 
vote only along party lines when it would better serve the 
dominant parties to vigorously pursue threats or 
intimidation, punish petty offenders regardless of 
affiliation, uphold fair electoral principles, and produce a 
clean election that legitimizes their expected gains. 
 
¶15.  (SBU)  In the meantime, while we are not sanguine that 
Cambodian electoral politics has managed to rise above the 
constant personal attacks, factional rivalries, pettiness and 
fecklessness of its main protagonists, signals of political 
maturity among parties and at the NEC are growing in number 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000565  004 OF 004 
 
 
and the positive election climate at the mid-point of the 
2008 National Assembly election campaign period bodes well 
for democratic trends in Cambodia. 
MUSSOMELI