Group Finds Flaws in Registration Process, Voter Lists
"Voters turned out less because of voter lists irregularities," Ly Sothearayuth, a senior program officer for the National Democratic I
The voter registration process for next year's national election contains serious flaws, a democracy group has found. The process has come under fire in recent weeks, as a deadline nears for eligible voters to register and for voters who believe they were removed from lists to get back on them. Critics have charged the process is skewed in favor of the Cambodian People's Party, with tens of thousands of names of opposition supporters removed from lists and the burden to rectify those lists in the hands of laymen voters. "Voters turned out less because of voter lists irregularities," Ly Sothearayuth, a senior program officer for the National Democratic Institute, said Thursday. NDI recently completed a survey of 385 communes, where they found more than 11 percent of eligible voters had not registered. The survey found that 20 percent of registered voters had not been given a critical identification card, Ly Sothearayuth said, as a guest on "Hello VOA." The National Election Committee has said the voter lists needed cleaned of illegible voters—such as the deceased—and that voters have until Oct. 20 to ensure their names are posted. But now the NEC should be focusing on getting as many people voting as possible, Ly Sothearayuth said. The burden should not be on the people, he added. Around 7 million people will be legible to vote in the national parliamentary elections, set for July next year.