Japan says too early to ‘judge’ National Election
samlot chit
Japan says too early to ‘judge’ National Election
The National Election Committee (NEC) yesterday assured that the next year’s National Election (NE) will be conducted in a “free and fair” manner while Japan hopes that the election will “reflect the diverse voices” of the Cambodian people.
However, Japan has not yet announced any funding or additional material to support the election process for the upcoming election, according to the NEC spokesman.
The NEC reaction was a response to the statement of Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi that ‘Japan has supported Cambodia’s democratic development’; which was made during his bilateral meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Prak Sokhonn on the sidelines of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and Related Meeting in Phnom Penh last week.
“He expressed his hope that the general election in Cambodia next July will be conducted in a manner that reflects the diverse voices of the Cambodian people,” said Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its website.
During an online press briefing on Friday night, Tsukamoto Yasuhiro, an assistant press secretary for Japan’s Foreign Ministry, said Hayashi did raise “the progress of democracy in Cambodia” with his Cambodian counterpart.
However, Yasuhiro did not comment when asked about the result of the June 5 Commune Election, in which the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) received a landslide victory, winning 74% of the popular vote.
“For next year (National Election), we still have one more year, So, I don’t want to judge the future,” he said. “However, we hope that the majority voice of Cambodian people will be elected in the July election.”
NEC spokesman Hang Puthea said yesterday that the views of a senior Japanese government official are reflected in the spirit of support for the Cambodian people, especially in the electoral process in Cambodia.
“Japan has always shown support for the election process in Cambodia, and used to include an expert to work regularly with Cambodian election officials,” he said.
The Japanese government in February 2018 provided an additional $7.5 million worth of equipment to NEC for the July 2018 General Election, despite the US and EU have threatened to cut off funding to the NEC, following the dissolution of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party in November 2017.
However, Japan has not yet announced any funding or additional materials to support the election process for the next year’s National Election, Puthea added.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has designated July 23, 2023, as the day for the National Election.
He said the “free, fair and just elections” are principles enshrined in the Constitution as well as the election law.
“For the free, fair and just elections, we cannot take any country’s standards as a basis, on the contrary, Cambodia has its own standards and norms to implement,” he has said.
Khmer Will Party President Kong Monika said yesterday that Japan has always played an important role in promoting democracy in Cambodia through political coordination, and improving the elections process.
“Japan continues to play such a role behind the Cambodian political curtain. I still want to see Japan continue to play this role, especially in political coordination when Cambodia is in crisis, and continue to promote free, fair and just elections through the continued provision of technical and expert assistance,” he said.
Kin Phea, Director-General at the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s International Relations Institute, said yesterday that Hayashi’s message is mean that Japan wants to see pluralism in the democratic process in Cambodia and full participation of all political parties.
“First of all, what they want to say is probably referring to (former opposition leader) Kem Sokha who is in court proceedings on a treason charge. Second, Japan has always shown a soft attitude in Cambodia’s internal affairs, whether it is a democracy or other issues, Japan has always had a way of working that is more engaged than pressure,” he said.