VZCZCXRO7285
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #0611 2100147
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 280147Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
INFO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0101
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS PHNOM PENH 000611 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL, P, D, INR, SES-O 
NSC FOR L. PHU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM PINR CB
SUBJECT: CAMBODIA ELECTION: PEACEFUL, ORDERLY 
 
REF: PHNOM PENH 602 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  The national election to choose Cambodia's next 
National Assembly came to a peaceful close July 27 as most of 
its 15,255 polling stations wrapped up ballot counting in the 
evening.  Overall, the atmosphere was non-violent and free of 
threats, with many Cambodians boasting participation in their 
fifth major election since 1993.  Embassy's 47 poll-watching 
teams in 18 provinces reported no major incidents directly 
related to the voting process, although some technical errors 
from the 2007 commune elections persisted.  Embassy officers 
and local staff canvassed national poll observers NICFEC and 
COMFREL and representatives of all 11 contesting parties at 
the end of the day, who similarly reported no major incidents 
based on early reports from the field.  Turnout appeared to 
be slightly higher than in the Commune Council elections -- 
in the 65 - 75 percent range. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Two Sam Rainsy candidates from Kandal province 
were detained the night of July 26, but released early in the 
morning of polling day in a matter of hours and without 
incident.  SRP party headquarters sources could not clarify 
the nature of the precipitating incidents.  Khim Laky, the 
number two Sam Rainsy Party candidate standing in Kandal 
province, was invited by Military Police to visit a local 
Commune Election Committee (CEC) office on the afternoon of 
July 27 to discuss his taking a photograph of a village chief 
standing inside a voting area.  Khim Laky later told us he 
quickly resolved the problem with the CEC and went on his 
way.  According to the Election Law, taking photographs 
inside the voting area is prohibited, and officials are also 
prohibited from remaining in proximity of the voting area 
after they have cast their vote.  The village chief who had 
remained in the voting area departed.  (NOTE:  Most village 
chiefs in Cambodia are aligned with the ruling CPP party. END 
NOTE.) 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  After making a concerted effort to accurately 
register more than eight million voters, the National 
Election Committee (NEC) continued to struggle with providing 
accurate information to voters about their polling stations. 
In areas such as Phnom Penh where the distribution of Voter 
Information Notices (VIN) was below-average and voter 
mobility was high (reftel) the problem was most acute, with 
at least 5-10 percent of those Phnom Penh voters who went to 
the polls apparently not being able to find their names at 
polling stations and thus failing to vote.  One senior CPP 
official said that even workers at the CPP headquarters could 
not locate their polling stations.  The issuance of 1018 
forms to substitute for identification was also high in some 
areas of the country and on occasion multiple voters having 
the same VIN were allowed to vote or a second person with the 
same VIN disenfranchised from voting.  It is too early to say 
how extensive the problems with identification are or whether 
they could have any impact on the final results. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Cambodians returned home at the end of election 
day with a business-as-usual attitude, showing that most have 
become accustomed to the voting process.  Many are now 
patiently awaiting the unofficial results, which could be 
released as early as July 28.  Official results determining 
apportionment of the 123 National Assembly seats could be 
issued anytime between August 9 and September 7, depending on 
the scope and extent of complaints filed with the NEC and 
finally adjudicated in the Constitutional Council. 
MUSSOMELI