The National Election Committee (NEC) has confirmed that no faults or irregularities have been found concerning the vote count for each political party in the July 23 general election.
The announcement has allayed fears and settled speculations surrounding the electoral process, ensuring the legitimacy of the outcome.
On July 29, the NEC revealed in a press release that they had delegated five teams, each responsible for reviewing and verifying the election results from five constituencies. The entire operation was executed meticulously, it said, with each team responsible for five out of the total 25 constituencies nationwide.
“There were no discrepancies or irregularities found in the vote count for each political party after the 25 capital and provincial electoral commissions had validated the election results,” it said.
This assertion has reaffirmed the integrity of the electoral process, dispelling any lingering doubts about the authenticity of the results, it added.
NEC spokesperson Som Sorida said on July 30 that the review and verification of the election results complied strictly with the body’s electoral calendar.
The process saw the involvement of representatives from each participating party, election observers and members of the media, ensuring an all-encompassing audit of the results.
“The review and verification efforts did not uncover any flaws from the capital or provincial election commissions,” Sorida said, affirming that all procedures were conducted in accordance with election laws and parliamentary voting regulations.
“We will announce the preliminary election results on July 31,” he said.
Tompen Virakvitou, director of the Cambodians Civil Society Network who was present during the verification process, expressed his confidence in the election results as reviewed by the NEC, emphasising the transparency and lawfulness of the process.
“Observing the process, I must commend the NEC’s excellent performance, right from the start of the election campaign. They adhered strictly to the law, ensuring complete transparency. Additionally, they made certain that all political parties had full visibility into every step of the process,” said Virakvitou.
Spokespersons for several parties were unavailable for comment on July 30.
The early results of the July 23 election indicated that the ruling Cambodian People’s Party won by a landslide, securing 120 out of the 125 parliament seats.
The royalist FUNCINPEC party, led by Prince Norodom Chakravith, is set to occupy the remaining seats, marking their return to the National Assembly after more than a decade.
