In an unprecedented move, Funcinpec parliamentarians have drafted a proposal to reform the much-criticized National Election Committee and submitted the bill to the National Assembly.
The bill, which was submitted by 10 Funcinpec parliamentarians and is being reviewed by the assembly’s Permanent Committee, would reduce the NEC to six partisan members and eliminate voter registration for the upcoming national elections, tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2003.
The new bill would limit campaign spending, prohibit vote buying, bar police from guarding the polls and require equal access to media for all parties. Violators could face jail time and loss of public office.
The NEC came under fire before and after the Feb 3 commune council elections.
Critics claim the committee deliberately kept information from voters. They charged the committee was controlled by the ruling CPP and made decisions in its favor.
The current 11-member NEC includes representatives from four political parties: Funcinpec, CPP, the Sam Rainsy Party and the now-defunct Molinaka party.
It also includes representatives of NGOs, the Ministry of Interior, “the voters” and a supposedly neutral chairman and vice-chairman. All seven of these members are chosen by the Ministry of Interior.
The Funcinpec proposal would reduce the committee to just six members—two from each of the three political parties currently seated in the Assembly.
“Individual political party interests will offset one another,” a summary of the bill states. Under the bill, “the Ministers/Ministry of Interior and the government have no more control of this process.”
Provincial and communal election committees would be selected using the same proportions. Under the old law, the NEC chose these committees “according to their personal judgment and preference.”
The new proposal would end voter registration. For the 2002 elections, at least 1 million eligible voters did not register.
Under the reform bill, commune authorities would conduct a census and make a list of eligible voters among their constituents. The NEC would double-check the lists, and they would be posted for three months before the election so voters could make sure their names were on it.
“This proposed law is very important to…make the parliamentary election fair and stop electoral corruption,” Funcinpec lawmaker Keo Remy, who wrote the bill, said.
The legislation would set a spending limit of 32 million riel (about $8,000) per National Assembly candidate and require parties to submit their campaign expenses to the NEC.
The proposal would also “strictly prohibit distribution of presents of any kinds [or] money by individuals, political party members, leaders and by any other organizations” during the campaign.
Critics have also charged the presence of police at the Feb 3 polls intimidated voters.
Under the Funcinpec proposal, the NEC would have its own uniformed security teams “to secure a peace of mind for the voters.”
Some Sam Rainsy Party lawmakers have agreed to support the bill, Keo Ramy said. Collaborating with the Sam Rainsy Party represents a new move for Funcinpec, currently a coalition partner with the CPP.
According to election law, any changes to the NEC must be passed by the National Assembly at least nine months before Election Day. The 2003 election may be just 14 months away, and bills generally take several months to make their way through parliament.
“I appeal to the government and Prime Minister Hun Sen to set a date for the elections. Otherwise, we cannot be sure when we need to finish the reform,” Keo Remy said.
Chan Ven, deputy secretary general of the Assembly, confirmed Sunday the bill had been submitted to the Permanent Committee.
The next session of parliament is scheduled to open May 12.
