Landslide for CPP in polls
THE Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) won 4,034 of 4,114 seats in t his year’s third mandate municipal, prov incia l, town and district council elections, while t he ot her si x parties received limited support.
The National Election Committee (NEC) on Saturday released the formal results of the elections, showing that of the seven political parties only three parties won seats.
The CPP received 550 of the 559 Phnom Penh and provincial council seats and 3,484 of the 3,555 seats in municipal, town and district councils.
The Khmer National Unity Party won 38 seats, while the Funcinpec Part y received 33.
NEC spokesperson Hang Puthea told The Post on Sunday that none of the parties had lodged any complaints follow ing the formal announcement of t he results.
He said that by law, municipal, provincial, town and district councillors are inducted into office by the Ministry of Interior within 14 days of the announcement.
“Sometimes, they can be inducted into office before or after that, but legally, the induction is due to be held within 14 days of the formal announcement of the results,” Puthea said.
The CPP on Saturday issued a statement expressing its faith in the integrity of the polls, claiming the elections to be free and fair in accordance with the Kingdom’s constitution.
“The CPP announces solemnly that it has received the results of the municipal, provincial, town and district council elections.
“The results fully mirrored the will of the
Cambodian people – through the election of commune and district councillors, who are their representatives at the grassroots level – for the CPP to continue to lead the Kingdom,” the statement said.
Funcinpec Party spokesman Nop Sothearith said his party was satisfied the elections had been held correctly, and would not file any complaints contesting the results – even though the CPP had won most of the seats.
Sothearith said Funcinpec’s share of seats had declined compared to the previous mandate but attributed the shortfall to the many recent divisions within the party.
“It is not a general election. We accept the commune council results, even though we have far fewer commune councillors than the CPP,” Sothearith said.
Cambodia Nationality Party president Seng Sokheng said the NEC had organised the council elections fairly.
“I think the elections took place in a free, fair and just fashion,” Sokheng said.
Korn Savang, the monitoring coordinator for the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, said more than 5,000 voters of the Supreme Court-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party had been stripped of their right to vote.
“The four Electoral Law amendments which deal wit h t he redistribution of seats of a part y that has been banned by the Supreme Court are seriously detrimenta l to genuine elections and representation, and an unfair v iolation of voters’ will and rights, because t he distribution of t he CNRP’s seats do not reflect voter support.
“The council elections are not an election in a democratic system,” Savang said.