CCHR Briefing Note on Political and Electoral Reform in Cambodia

Dear all,

Today, 11 February 2013, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights ("CCHR") is releasing the first in a series of four Briefing Notes, one per week for the next month. Each will examine key issues related to human rights in Cambodia: political and electoral reform; judicial reform; freedom of expression; and land reform.

The attached Briefing Note - on political and electoral reform - outlines the current state of politics in the Kingdom of Cambodia (“Cambodia”) ahead of the 2013 national elections, analyzes shortcomings in the electoral process, and offers recommendations for reforms which would substantially benefit the state of democracy in Cambodia. The Briefing Note recommends four key areas of reform: 1) Reforming the NEC to ensure the independence of its members and to reduce election irregularities; 2) Increasing women’s representation in politics by implementing electoral gender quotas for candidate lists of a minimum of 30%; 3) Incorporating civic education into the national educational system to increase the youth’s participation and representation in politics; and 4) Developing party platforms and campaigns that incorporate concrete policy initiatives for developing and growing the nascent small-business sector. By considering these areas, both the CPP and opposition parties can campaign on issues that benefit all Cambodians and achieve progress towards establishing a liberal participatory democracy, with human rights properly protected and promoted in accordance with Cambodia’s domestic and international legal obligations.

Please find the Briefing Note attached in Khmer and English.

For more information, please contact CCHR President Ou Virak via telephone at  +855 (0) 12 40 40 51  or e-mail at ouvirak@cchrcambodia.org or Senior Consultant Robert Finch via telephone at  +855 (0) 78 80 99 60  or e-mail at robert.finch@cchrcambodia.org.

Kind regards,
CCHR