With the election campaign period approaching ahead of the upcoming July 23 general election, nearly 100,000 additional officers will be deployed to maintain public order, said Chhay Kim Khoeun, spokesman for the National Police, on June 27.
Kim Khoeun added that the security forces will be drawn from the National Police, the Military Police and troops from the military regional commands. They will be deployed during the campaign period, on election day, during the vote counting and after the election.
“We will station these forces at the 1,952 election locations in Phnom Penh and the provinces to guard 23,789 polling stations, ballot boxes, and any additional electoral documents of the National Election Committee (NEC),” he explained.
“In addition, an almost 1,000 strong special intervention task force will be held in reserve, ready to deploy to address any untoward situations, should they develop,” he added.
Sam Kuntheamy, executive director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (NICFEC), noted on June 28 that deployment of additional security forces was similar to previous elections.
“In the past however, I have seen some shortcomings in the performance of these security forces, such as allowing unofficial people to be present at polling stations,” he said.
NEC spokesman Hang Puthea explained that the NEC collaborates with the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Interior at every election, in order to protect public order and ensure the elections run smoothly.
He said the presence of additional security forces provides confidence to members of the public as they head to the polls.
“The protection of people’s safety is of the utmost importance,” he added.
He said the NEC encourages anyone who thinks they have identified any irregularity with any part of the election process to file an official complaint, so the allegations can be formally investigated.
The NEC called on all political parties, candidates and their supporters to abide by the rules, procedures and ethical principles set by the committee, in order to ensure the forthcoming election period is peaceful, free of violence, secure and safe.
Meanwhile, NEC’s working groups have distributed over 90 per cent of the election information cards it has printed ahead of the upcoming general election.
Puthea announced on June 27 that the distribution period ran from May 28 to June 26, with cards now issued to 94.13 per cent of the Kingdom’s 9,710,655 register voters. He noted that the remaining cards were earmarked for individuals who had migrated for work in other provinces or those they were overseas.
“The remaining five per cent or so of voters who have not received their cards can collect them from their commune election commission from June 28 to July 21,” he explained.
NEC chairman Prach Chan recently issued instructions on the importance of maintaining security and public order at polling stations and vote counting offices during the general election.
“The heads of the election commissions in the capital and provinces and those at the commune and district level, along with all vote counting offices, must ensure that the electoral climate remains peaceful,” said the instructions.
Chan said that only election officials and registered political party candidates would be authorised to enter polling stations, along with certified election observers and registered journalists.
“All election commissions must cooperate with security officers to guarantee security, safety and public order during the election process,” he added.
He suggested that each election commissions share the importance of maintaining public order with all registered political parties, national and international observers, NGOs, media outlets and voters.
