New allegations from the Sam Rainsy Party of attempts to buy votes by members of the CPP have surfaced ahead of the May 17 district, municipal and provincial council elections, officials said Monday.
The SRP last week lodged complaints with the National Election Committee claiming that CPP members tried by telephone to buy the votes of two Phnom Penh commune councilors, NEC official Som Chandyna said Monday.
Four complaints have been submitted, all of them by the SRP, since the 15-day election campaign period began on May 1, Mr Chandyna said during a press conference at NEC headquarters in the capital.
Two complaints were submitted dealing with an alleged attempt by Leng Phaly, undersecretary of state of the Ministry of Planning, to buy the vote of Phnom Penh Thmei commune councilor Va Sam, Phnom Penh Municipal Election Committee Director Lun Chhengkay said.
The SRP submitted another complaint accusing Ly Ramor, adviser to the Ministry of Cults and Religion, of making an offer for the vote of an SRP commune councilor in Phnom Penh’s Teak Thla commune, Mr Chhengkay said.
A fourth complaint claimed the CPP used a state building in Stung Treng province for campaigning purposes, which is prohibited under election regulations.
The complaints follow the April 30 release by the SRP of a recording of a phone conversation intended to show a CPP attempt at vote-buying in Preah Sihanouk province. No complaint has been submitted regarding that allegation.
“We have the evidence also, but we did not yet submit a complaint,” SRP spokesman Yim Sovann said.
The submitted complaints only deal with a fragment of what is going on behind the scenes, he said.
“There’s more,” Mr Sovann said, adding that some of his party members are not familiar enough with mobile telephones to be able to record conversations when offers to buy votes have been made.
Two of the attempts in the SRP’s complaints were recorded via telephone by SRP members acting without party direction, he said. In both cases, commune councilors were offered roughly $800 and a position with a monthly salary of about 100,000 riel, or $25.
The CPP, he said, is going for the SRP’s weak spots, trying to buy votes in places where a few defections could lose the SRP a councilor seat.
Phnom Penh Deputy Governor and CPP member Pa Socheatvong denied that members of his party tried to buy votes. The SRP, he added, often makes accusations without evidence.
“They just accuse us,” he said. “Why do they accuse us without enough evidence?”
Mr Chhengkay said he received the complaints of vote-buying on May 7.
“I’ll call the plaintiff and defendant to have negotiations on May 14,” he said. “If we cannot compromise then the [Municipal Election Committee] will hear this case.”
Violations of the election law can lead to fines of between 5 and 10 million riel, or $1,250 to $2,500.
