Cambodia commune election results in 2022 showed numerous and significant irregularities that raise concerns for the July 23, 2023 national elections, Human Rights Watch said today. A systematic analysis of ballot forms in Phnom Penh suggests that election fraud and vote tampering may have occurred, and that ballots across the capital were not properly counted and reported.
The National Election Committee (NEC) should promptly adopt measures that would ensure the fair tabulation of votes in the upcoming national election. The committee did not respond to questions that Human Rights Watch submitted on June 5, 2023, regarding alleged irregularities.
“Serious allegations of vote tampering, fraud, and improper counting of votes during the 2022 commune elections call into question the credibility of Cambodia’s National Election Committee,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “While it’s already clear that the national election in July will be a mockery of the democratic process, a toothless and incompetent National Election Committee only makes matters worse.”
In full: https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/07/03/cambodia-past-vote-irregularities-foreshadow-july-election
