NEC and relevant stakeholders hold a meeting on the preparation of the commune council elections on Tuesday. NEC
The National Election Committee (NEC) has prepared a budget of $43 million for the commune council elections scheduled for June 5, a decrease of almost 10 per cent from the 2017 elections.
NEC secretary-general Tep Nytha said in a meeting on February 15 that the National Assembly had approved $43 million for use at the 5th-mandate commune elections, equivalent to $4 for each registered voter. In the 2017 council elections, the committee had spent $52 million, or $6 on each voter.
NEC spokesperson Som Sorida told The Post that the committee had spent less at the June 5 elections because it had previously spent a significant portion of the budget on equipment required to register first-time voters and prepare voter lists. The equipment has been retained for use in the upcoming elections, thereby cutting down the funding required, he said.
“A lot of budget, time and other equipment needed to be spent [in the last elections], but everything seems to already be in place for the 5th-mandate commune elections, so the budget is lower than in 2017.
“We will still continue to update the voter lists, but that will take only 50 days in the election year,” he added.
The announced budget reflects only state spending and does not account for foreign aid, Sorida said. This has been received in the form of technical assistance from Japan, which he said has provided “voter education” technicians who are currently working at NEC headquarters.
Nytha said the committee has prepared the necessary legal framework, including rules, regulations and procedures to monitor and verify election processes and results, as well as implemented protocols for election officials and staff.
“We have implemented [these rules and regulations] gradually, such as setting up election commissions in the capital and provinces and recruiting more than 800 staff to work. In the future we will recruit additional election commission members,” he said.
Grassroots Democratic Party (GDP) spokesman Loek Sothea urged NEC to use the state budget in a transparent and appropriate manner to ensure that the election process will be impartial and trusted by citizens as well as political parties that are planning to run in the elections.
“This budget belongs to the state, which has collected it from the payment of taxes by the people. NEC must use this budget in a transparent manner to deliver accuracy and fairness in the elections,” he said.
NEC chairman Prach Chan on February 15 announced the 5th-mandate commune elections. Under the Law on Elections of the Commune Councils, it is to be held every five years.
The date of the election is set by the prime minister at least nine months before polling day at the request of the interior minister. In a government directive dated June 1, 2021, the 5th-mandate commune election is scheduled to be held on June 5.
“Starting from these basics, NEC is prepared to set up the master plan and the work calendar, as well as update the rules and procedures – including legal documents – to ensure the commune election is run smoothly and successfully,” Chan said.
