Commune officials in Pailin have stopped the Candlelight Party from installing four party banners, claiming that other political parties had reserved the same locations but refusing to name the parties.
Minor party leaders say voting irregularities they flagged after last year’s commune election have not been addressed by the National Election Committee, which has ignored most of their suggestions for electoral reform.
The opposition Khmer National United Party has asked to meet with the National Election Committee to make changes to electoral procedures ahead of the upcoming national July 2023 election.
Opposition parties say they received too little time to review a 337-page National Election Committee draft of procedures for the upcoming national election after the committee asked for feedback within two and a half weeks.
Candlelight Party leader Son Chhay was found guilty of defamation in two cases brought against him by the National Election Committee and CPP for discussing irregularities in vote counting and candidate registrations during the June commune election.
The National Election Committee maintained on Thursday that comments made by an opposition leader about the results of the June commune election had affected its reputation, as it pressed its case at a defamation hearing at the Phnom Penh court.
A Phnom Penh court prosecutor has decided to formally charge opposition leader Son Chhay for public defamation in two cases, with his lawyer saying the cases now proceed to trial.
Four political parties want an overhaul of the NEC composition, pushing for more independent members on the election body, which has skewed sharply toward the ruling CPP since the dissolution of the CNRP in 2017.
Opposition Candlelight Party vice president Son Chhay returned from Australia to Cambodia on Sunday and will face lawsuits lodged over his claim of vote-stealing, including a $1-million suit brought against him by the ruling CPP.
The ruling Cambodian People’s Party was confirmed the overwhelming victor at the June commune election, as the electoral body announced on Sunday the final results of an election marred with allegations of irregularities and intimidation.
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