A group of electoral monitoring NGOs under the banner of the Electoral Reform Alliance yesterday gathered to express their concern over current regulations that govern Cambodia’s voter registration process.

Koul Panha, the executive director of democracy watchdog Comfrel, addressed a discussion panel at Phnom Penh’s Imperial Garden Villa Hotel and outlined his proposed vision for a more inclusive and pluralistic registration system.

Each electoral registration team would be composed of three individuals: a president, chosen by the National Election Committee, a deputy head, which would be the commune clerk, and a third member also selected by the NEC.

“The recruitment of the electoral registration team must be transparent,” said Panha.

“We want to see the role of the deputy electoral registration team to be of assistance to the team leader.

We are concerned individual commune clerks may not be independent.”

He said the NEC had addressed its commitment to implementing a new voter list, and that the body has consulted with the European Union and Japan. Japan is helping digitise the list.

NEC spokesman Hang Puthea could not be reached for comment yesterday.