In a brief released today, LICADHO has compiled key observations and serious discrepancies witnessed during Cambodia’s 2013 National Assembly elections. Problems were documented in an alarming percentage of the stations visited; ranging from voter roll irregularities, to indications of intentional fraud or vote rigging, to intimidation. While the briefing is not a quantitative representation, it reveals problematic trends and ongoing issues that must be addressed.

Perhaps most troubling, election day observers determined that voter rolls at several of the polling stations visited must have been intentionally manipulated in advance. In one station, observers spoke with individuals who freely admitted that they were part of a large group of Cambodian citizens that had been brought to the commune to vote by their employer, despite the fact that they had not resided or registered in that commune. Similarly, in Siem Reap, observers saw military units arriving from Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces to vote in newly created polling stations. The units had slept in nearby pagodas overnight before voting. In another example, university students were used to illegaly cast ballots in Kandal province, a crucial election battleground.

“The number of instances where our relatively few observers were able to witness such clear indications of fraudulent activity was somewhat surprising,” said Naly Pilorge, Director of LICADHO. “We were expecting significant issues with the voter rolls, especially in light of earlier reports of ghost voters, drastic over-registrations and the like, but the indications of vote rigging we saw went beyond that.”

The report also describes numerous instances of inexplicably missing names and other irregularities, as well as disturbing instances of intimidation.

“The observations detailed in this report unequivocally demonstrate the need for further in-depth investigations and additional procedures before the vote results can be finalized,” said Ms. Pilorge.

For more information, please contact:
▪ Mr. Am Sam Ath, Monitoring Supervisor of LICADHO, 012 327 770
▪ Ms. Pilorge Naly, Director of Cambodian League for the Promotion & Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), 012 803 650

PDF: Download full statement
MP3: Listen to audio version in Khmer