The Ministry of Interior has taken the first step toward registering voters for next July’s scheduled general election, issuing a directive ordering commune council members to give certificates of residence to constituents.
The directive, signed by co-ministers Sar Kheng and You Hockry on Dec 20, is intended to take account of people who want to vote in a different place than they voted in the 2002 commune council elections, people who have moved or been away for a long time, and people who don’t have any documents to prove their residence in the commune where they live, National Election Committee spokesman Leng Sochea said Tuesday.
The directive is the beginning of a completely new voting process.
Previously, citizens had to register separately for each election, during a specified registration period that often was only a few days long. They then received voter identification cards to bring to the polls.
Now, commune councils, elected for the first time in February, will work from the list of voters in that election. Those who were registered then don’t need to register again, Leng Sochea said—they need only check the list that will be posted in the commune office on Jan 15 to make sure their names are there.
Those whose names are left off the list have a month to correct the omission, and the commune council is responsible for making the list as complete as possible.
People who don’t have documents such as land titles to prove residence can appear before the commune councilors with one witness, who must be an eligible voter, and one document such as identification card or passport. Alternately, they may bring two qualified witnesses and no documents, Leng Sochea said.
Soldiers and military police who live in camps far from home can register to vote either at their permanent place of residence or at the commune nearest the camp, the directive states. In the latter case, they can ask their commanders to send their names to the commune council.
The same goes for monks and other followers living in pagodas—they can go home to register, or ask their pagoda chiefs to make a recognition list and bring it to the local commune council.
Koul Panha, executive director of the Committee for Free and Fair elections, complained Tuesday that the monthlong registration period is not long enough. He suggested extending it to three months.
