NEC to start registration of candidates for election

By Soun Samnang

The Mekong Times

The registration of prospective lawmakers, premiership candidates and political parties hoping to vie in this year’s national election starts today, according to a statement from the National Election Committee (NEC).According to NEC procedure, political parties, prospective lawmakers and premiership candidates are able to register on the NEC’s list provided that the parties are recognized by the Interior Ministry.

Political parties have to deposit 15 million riel (about US$3,750) in Cambodia’s National Treasury, which the party can reclaim if it fails to win more than three percent of the total vote. Political parties also have to field candidates in at least eight of the nation’s 24 provinces. “The NEC has defined that candidates who cannot register are firstly non-Cambodians; secondly those who have been convicted of misdemeanors or crimes but haven’t been punished yet,” said Tep Nitha, secretary general of the NEC. He added that candidates who suffer from nervous disorders cannot register, and neither can members of the NEC. Civil servants such as the police and soldiers have to resign from their position seven days before the election if they are standing for political parties, he said.

The ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) - the largest political party in Cambodia - has already prepared a candidate list, while the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) will submit a complete list early next month, according to party officials. Eng Chay Eang, secretary-general of the SRP, said his party is currently advising provincial working groups to select candidates for submittal to the party’s leadership. “[The] SRP will send a list of representative candidates for the fourth mandate to NEC in May,” he said.

Keo Rémy, vice president of the Human Rights Party (HRP) said the HRP has not yet prepared a list of candidates, as he claims local authorities are preventing HRP candidates from being certified by commune chiefs. “The HRP is arguing the problem. I think the grassroots authorities attempted to do this so that the chief of commune council doesn’t certify the name of HRP’s candidates,” he added. Nan Sy, Funcipec’s spokesman, said that Funcipec party has already prepared its candidate list. “For preparation of representative candidates, Funcipec has evaluated the capacity and popularity of each candidate. We manage this party on democratic principles and were the first to do so. We have prepared a list of candidates who have merits from the bottom to top level of the party,” Nan Sy said.

“A Norodom Ranariddh Party delegation on Saturday last week prepared a candidate list which will be sent to Samdech Krom Preah [Norodom Ranariddh] in Malaysia to review,” said Ranariddh Anandayat, special advisor to Prince Ranariddh, adding that the list will then be sent to the NEC.