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Issue Papers
on COPCELPROM in
Mondulkiri, Stung Treng and Rattanakiri
April 2-6, 2006
Since last year 2005, COPCELPROM (Copcel Provincial
Meetings) has organised meetings that were held in Takeo, Kampot,
Sihanoukville, Kampong Speu, Kandal, Mondulkiri, Stung Treng and Rattanakiri.
On July 3, 2006 (?)
a meeting will be held in Koh Kong province and. iIn next August COPCELPROM
will be conducted held in Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Pailin, Pursat and
Kampong Chhnang.
IUp to now, in order to disseminate the outcomes of
COPCELPROM's outcomes among our our international partners, the CDRI’s
COPCEL Secretariat until now has provided a summary-translation of
COPCELPROM's Khmer minutes. Being awareIn response to our awareness that
CDRI's our international partners and other stakeholders have tomust read a
huge volume of manage a huge amount of reading documents, from now on the
COPCEL’s Secretariat from now on will summarize the outcomes of COPCELPROM
meetings into a short document called "COPCELPROM Issues Papers". Our
international partners and other stakeholders will continue to receive the
transcribed Khmer transcription mMinutes of all COPCELPROM meetings so that
their Cambodian staff could eventuallywill be able to check details of
discussions if there is a needthe need arises. Those mMinutes will also be
also available to the public through the CDRI library.
We hope that this new information dissemination format
will be satisfactory to all recipients. The COPCEL Secretariat welcomes with
sincere thanks any comments, remarks or advice from all.
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Issues/Provinces |
Mondulkiri, April 3, 2006 |
Stung
Treng |
Rattanakiri |
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1. NGO Observers
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In 2003, some NGOs had lured people to buy an NGO
Observer Card and then fled. Some NGOs just ran away after receiving
paymentmoney.
---> The NEC's decision not to renew the mandate
of the NGO Coordination Committee's mandate is thus justified. |
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2. Political conflict during election campaign
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In the past, during the election campaign, any
violent event or incidentce was interpreted, or exploited by
activists or parties’ party members, as beinghaving politically
motivated reason.
---> Strong appeal to all actors, especially NGO
activists and parties’ agentsparty representatives, to be cautious
in reporting such events or incidentsce. |
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3. Weak Limitations in the capacity of parties’ agentparty
representatives and NGO observers
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During the voting and counting processes,
parties’ agentsparty representatives and NGO observers did not have
enoughhad insufficient capacity to interpret and implement the NEC's
rules and regulations.
---> Strong recommendation to the NEC for to
organizing organize joint training sessions with NEC officers,
parties’ agentsparty representatives and NGO observers. |
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4. National ID cards
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There are two problems in with this issue. First,
in rural areas, people have difficulty to in providinge their
photographs for ID cards. Secondly, police officers take money from
the people before issuing ID cards. The amount varies from one area
to another.
---> Recommendation to the National Police
Commissioner to have a strong control mechanism over for controlling
officers in charge of this matter.
---> Praise the MOI for having launched the 2006
national campaign to deliver ID to the remaining 1.,9 million
eligible citizens. |
R
Debating the same
issue |
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5. Changing name or its spelling
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In rural areas, particularly the nNortheast, many
people – even the cCommune cCouncil members –- have are in the habit
to of either changing e their names or the spelling of their names,
or their entire names, thus creatingwhich creates many problems in
for the voter registration process and in the issuance of the
national ID cards.
---> Joint efforts between government
authorities, political parties and NGOs to educate and raise the
people's awareness of the people inof this matterissue.
---> Strengthening the capacity effectiveness of
the cCommune cCouncils and the cCommune cClerks in the performance
of their job performancess. |
R
Debating the same issue |
R
Debating the same issue |
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6. Party ies’ agents representatives leaving counting rooms
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In past elections, whenafter knowing realising
that their parties had lost the elections, the agents
representatives left the counting rooms before the end of the
process, thus and so failed to sign the 1105 form as required by the
NEC regulations.
---> All partyies’ agents representatives must
strictly abide strictly by the NEC rules and regulations. |
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7. Roles of the PECs and CECs still not clear
enoughinsufficiently clear
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Heads of PECs (Provincial Election Committees)
and CECs (Commune Election Committees) feel that their roles or job
descriptions are sometimes not very clear, thus which preventing
prevents them from correctly managing problems when they arise.
---> The NEC should come up withdevelop clearer
roles and responsibilitiesy of for the PECs and CECs. |
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8. Poor capacityInability of PECs and CECs toin settleing
disputes
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While many PECs and CECs officials have been
competent in the performance of their dutiesbeen performing their
tasks with competence, many are still lacking the capacity to settle
complaints in satisfactorilyy way.
---> In settling election disputes, there is
general feeling that the NEC, as a whole, is still very weak. The
election law itself provides many loopholes. There isIt is
acknowledgement acknowledged that the issue is complex.
Nevertheless, the NEC should make more effort to train its
officials, especially at the PEC and CEC levels.
---> It is sStrongly recommendation recommended
to that the NEC should to organizinge joint training sessions with
its officers (at national and sub-national levels), and with party
representativesies’ agents and NGO observers.
---> The NEC should consider to appointing a
district election-advisor to assist the cCommune cCouncillors and
the commune clerks. |
R Debating the same
issue |
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9. Disputes during election campaign
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There were many instances of conflicts during the
election campaign. Parties did not respect the agreed schedules and
they did not apply self-restraint principle in their public speeches
or statements.
---> NEC should more strictly implement more
strictly its rules and regulations regarding the election campaign.
The NEC should not rely too much on conciliatory approaches;, to
some some extent, sanctions should be used againstapplied to parties
that do not follow the regulations.
----> Parties must abide by the Code of Conduct
they have agreed to sign jointly.
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R
Debating the same issue |
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10. Women
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The pParticipation of women in the politics,
especially at the sub-national level, is still weak. Women do not
receive appropriate support and encouragement from their familiesy,
the community and theor society. Political parties do not yet make
yet all necessaryevery effort to promote their women members.
---> Joint and wide broad campaign to promote the
importance involvement of women in the politics of the country
particularly at the grassroots level.
---> All parties should have the political will
to put prioritise women candidates in well-placed order in the
candidate lists.
---> Specific training sessions should be
provided to women candidates and once they are elected.
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R Debating the same
issue |
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11. Donations and gifts
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Many candidates have used donations and gifts to
buy their votes. Donations could bearcan appear in many forms, and.
This could favour rich and big powerful parties, while
disadvantaging small parties.
---> Natural disasters like flood or drought
should be the only exception to this rule, with where aid
distribution could be being allowed in these circumstances. All
other forms of donation should be prohibited.
---> The NEC should be stricter in relation toin
this matter.
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Mondulkiri |
Stung Treng, April 04, 2006 |
Rattanakiri |
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12. Complaint settlements
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The NEC relies too much on reconciliation –- "Samrob
Samruol"
---> The NEC should increasingly use more its
power to apply sanctions power otherwise it will beto stop it losing
its credibility. |
R
Debating the same issue |
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13. Workload during the formal registration of voters
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DIn October, during the 20-day formal
registration period in October, the cCommune cCouncils and the
cCommune clerks are were under tremendous great demands from by many
institutions for to conduct workshops, seminars, training sessions,
and produce administrative documents etc and so on. ..They do not
receive enough sufficient incentives to perform these extra
worksduties.
---> Relating Related institutions like such as
the MOI, Provincial Offices, Seila Task Force, and relevant NGOs
should review their annual planning to avoid having the any
involvement of any cCommunes members and clerks during the official
October registration period in October.
---> Appropriate incentives should be provided to
concerned cCommune cCouncil members and cCommune cClerks to
encourage them to perform better during the voter registration
process. |
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14. Information dissemination
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There is a general feeling that although the NEC
has made efforts to disseminate the election-related information to
the voters, it this is still not enough.
---> Request that NGOs and political parties join
the NEC to widely disseminate the information widely.
---> The information cards sent to a sample of
voter groups, pilot-tested by the NEC, may constitute a correct
approach but it is still too early for makingto make any judgment on
itabout it.
---> Request that for CDRI to organiszes more
COPCELPROM meetings. |
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15. Voting stations in private residences
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In 2003, two voting stations were located in
private residences where owners were members of the ruling parties.
At that time, Ddue to a flood situation at that time, the PEC, in
agreement with all political parties, was forced to adopt that this
solution.
---> Request that in future elections, voting
stations will be located in on neutral ground. The PEC has promised
to find neutral locations for the coming 2007 commune election and
the 2008 national election. |
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16. PEC and CEC officials
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In the past, the selection process for
selectingof PEC and CEC officials was not very clear. Many relatives
were selected.
---> Request that the NEC implements a more open
and transparent procedures. |
R Debating the same
issue |
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17. Transportation problems
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During the rainy seasons iIn this nNortheast part
of the country, during the rainy seasons, it is very difficult for
the people to register or to vote.
---> Ask the NEC if is there any possibility to
of avoid the rainy seasons for the registration and the voting
processes being conducted outside the rainy season.? |
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18. Presence of the local authorities around the voting
stations
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In During past elections, the presence of
district and Commune commune cChiefs around the voting stations
hasve intimidated the voters who were not members of the ruling
party. This presence is perceived as making the election process not
free and fair.
---> Request to the representative of the
provincial governor's representative to take measures prohibiting
those local officials from stationing themselves around the voting
booths once they have cast their votes. |
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Mondulkiri |
Stung Treng |
Rattanakiri, April 05, 2006 |
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On the ID card issue, request that the ID card
campaign be linked to other registration processes (birth and death
certificates, change of residence, wedding certificates etc...)
There are Vietnamese immigrants holding Cambodian
ID cards. |
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On the gender issue, in addition to what were has
already been requested, recommend that most scholarships be provided
largely to indigenous women students. |
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19. Weak capacity of cCommune clerks
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Although the NEC has delegated power to the
cCommune cCouncils and the commune clerks to register the voters,
their capacity is still very limited.
---> The NEC should provide more training
sessions to them in this part of the country. |
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20. Rights of the monks
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Do the monks have the rights to vote? It This is
not clear because although the cConstitution provides monks with the
right to vote to the monks, theis issue has been politicized by the
supreme patriarch.
---> The NEC should provide have a clear
positiona clear stand on this issue. |
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