The National Election Committee will finalize regulations on the pre-election campaign period this week, after political parties and NGOs offered their recommendations on how the draft chapter could be improved, NEC Secretary-General Tep Nitha said on Sunday.
The campaign chapter of the election law states all parties must be offered equal opportunity to campaign in the media, and permits parties to transport voters to polling stations.
Tep Nitha said the NEC presented the reviewers’ recommendations at a meeting on Monday. The NEC will now ask private broadcasters and publishers to present a schedule of air time and print space available for political parties to buy.
“The NEC will divide the time equally to all political parties for the same price,” Tep Nitha said. The draft campaign law also states that the NEC will ensure equal campaign time in state-run media outlets.
Sam Rainsy Party Senator Ou Bun Long said on Saturday that his party does not support the NEC’s new rules on transporting voters. “Our party opposes using private transportation to transport voters to polling stations,” he said.
Secretary-General of the Khmer Front Party, Sun Sokunmealea, asked the NEC to examine the amount of air time dedicated to speeches by the prime minister in the run up to the election.
“The prime minister always campaigns in his speeches before the election. The NEC should ban these activities to ensure neutrality,” Sun Sokunmealea said.
Ke Bunkoeun, a CPP official, said he agreed with the NEC’s decision on transportation. “Transporting voters to polling stations doesn’t affect the election,” he said. If the NEC forbids the use of private transportation on polling day, fewer people will cast their votes, he said.
Most citizens now understand the voting process, and know that parties cannot make up their mind for them, Ke Bunkoeun said. “If they love one party, they will keep it in their hearts. No other parties can convince them to vote,” he said.
Chan Narung of the Norodom Chakrapong Khmer Soul Party asked the NEC on Saturday to ban political parties from giving gifts to voters during the campaign period.
“Small parties can’t afford to offer gifts to people, so the small parties will never win the election,” Chan Narung said.
