National Election Committee (NEC) Chairman Prach Chan will lead a Cambodian delegation to observe the election system and process in France next week, according to NEC’s March 10 press statement.

It said that Chan will lead a delegation from NEC and officials from the Ministry of Interior, whose work relates to elections, to visit Paris, France and observe its election system from March 13-19.

The visit came after a meeting between interior minister Sar Kheng and French ambassador Jacques Pellet on November 11, during which the French side offered to host the Cambodian officials on a visit to France to learn about elections there.

The visit was at the invitation of Sophie Hatt, head of the International Security Cooperation Directorate (DCIS) at France’s Ministry of Interior.

The visit comes in advance of Cambodia’s July 23 national election and the NEC has invited the media to cover the trip through a pre-visit press conference at the VIP departure gate of Phnom Penh International Airport on the evening of March 13.