Registered voters examine their details on a posted voter list on September 20. NEC
The National Election Committee (NEC) is set to expunge over 120,000 names from the current voter list. The revised 2023 voter list of over 9.8 million registered voters will be published on November 24.
On November 19, NEC spokesperson Som Sorida outlined the three reasons for removing individuals from the list. They include documented deaths, relocation to other communes and disqualifications.
Opposition figures such as Sam Rainsy and his associates, who had encouraged ballot destruction in recent elections, fall into the category of those previously who have been stripped of certain rights.
“The 120,883 names which are slated for removal will be published alongside the revised voter list. Additionally, 53 individuals, identified as opposition leaders, face fines from the NEC and subsequent removal from the list,” Sorida stated.
“We refrain from disclosing the identities of opposition activists. However, individuals who contravene the recently enacted Article 1 of the Parliamentary Elections Law by inciting or instructing people to destroy or damage ballots, will be subject to fines and disqualification from future voting and candidacy rights,” he explained.
Sorida indicated that if the list slated for removal from the voter list is posted, and there are no objections, the names will be deleted according to the standard procedures of the NEC.
Sam Kuntheamy, the executive director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (NICFEC), could not be reached for comment on November 19.
Information on the initial removals and the to-be-removed lists will be publicly displayed in commune halls and selected locations on November 24, and will be accessible on the NEC website, said a recent NEC press release.
The NEC urged voters to verify their names on the lists. It added that based on the preliminary results of the voter list review, of the total of 9,871,502 names on the list, 120,883 will be removed and 18,668 corrections will be made.
“Everyone is entitled to submit a written complaint or objection concerning the initial voter list and the names slated for removal to the Commune Council within five days after the posting date. December 2 is the final day,” it continued.
