Election watchdog Comfrel criticised National Assembly President Heng Samrin for a lack of commitment to creating a quota for female parliamentarians in a report presented yesterday.

The launch, which brought together 30 female representatives from NGOs, pointed to the decline in female parliamentarians last year.

“In 2015, the number of female parliamentarians decreased to 24” or 19.51 per cent of lawmakers, according to Sonket Sereyleak, education and gender coordinator for Comfrel, who pointed to the Cambodian People’s Party replacing female lawmaker Cheam Savaiy (who resigned for health reasons in July) with a male counterpart.

“It means the National Assembly president does not have a concept of gender or gender sensitivity,” she said.

CPP spokesman Sok Eysan dismissed the criticism, stating that 25 per cent of National Assembly, government and commune offices are held by women, adding that the replacement of Savaiy was not Samrin’s decision.

At the gathering, CNRP lawmaker Ke Sovannroth called for the creation of a quota law.