Floods that have ravaged much of Cambodia may lead to a long-requested extension of voter registration, a National Election Committee official said yesterday.

Tep Nytha, NEC secretary-general, said the committee was debating whether to extend the 20-day registration period, which is set to end on October 20.

“We have not yet to decided about delaying the registration deadline, and at the moment we are speaking with the local authorities at the commune level to evaluate the number of people affected by the floods,” he said.

More than one million people have been affected by flooding that has reached 20 provinces, while tens of thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes.

The opposition has repeatedly requested a delay of voter registration in response to the ongoing floods. It has also called for the list to not be updated until an investigation into electoral irregularities is held.

Koul Panha, head of election watchdog Comfrel, said that unless the NEC reforms its registration process, the lists will continue to be flawed.