Upon to the request of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Cambodia, on Wednesday, 29 July, 2026, at 8:00 A.M at the headquarters of the National Election Committee (NEC), H.E Mr. Prach Chan, Chairman of the NEC, received a courtesy call by Mr. Thomas Andrews for work discussion.
In his welcoming remarks, H.E Mr. Prach Chan, Chairman of the NEC, extended a warm welcome to Mr. Thomas Andrews and his delegations and expressed his appreciation for their visit to the NEC. Mr. Thomas Andrews expressed his deep gratitude to H.E Mr. Prach Chan for permitting this meeting in order to learn the election process in Cambodia. Commonly, he wanted to know how the NEC would organize and administer the upcoming Election of Commune/Sangkat Councils and Election of Members of the National Assembly in a free, fair and just manner with full respect for human rights.
H.E Mr. Prach Chan responded and provided an overview of the history of the elections in Cambodia that the first election in Cambodia took place in 1993, which was the Constituent Assembly Election, which was organized by the United Nations Transitional Authority (UNTAC). The Constituent Assembly established and adopted the constitution, then the Constituent Assembly became the National Assembly, which established the Royal Government of Cambodia. Later, the National Assembly also approved many laws for the Royal Government to lead the country along with the Law on the Election of Members of the National Assembly. He added that since 1998, Cambodia has independently organized and administered both national and sub-national elections.
To date, the NEC has successfully organized 19 elections. In general, these elections have been assessed by both national and international observers as having been conducted in a free, fair and just manner. In particular, the 1998 National Assembly Election was described by election observers from the United States as “The Miracle on the Mekong”.
H.E Mr. Prach Chan further stated that after the election, the NEC conducts a research study to improve the electoral process from one legislature to the next. In 2015, Cambodia undertook profound electoral reforms on the legal framework, institutional framework, and administrative framework as well as the technical framework in the election, especially on the reforms of voter list revision and voter registration to produce the voter lists.
With regards to the update of the election preparations, H. E Mr. Prach Chan said that in accordance with the Constitution, “Citizens of both sexes have the right to vote and to stand as candidate for election. Cambodian citizens of both sexes who are at least 18 years old have the right to vote” and also pursuant to the Law on Elections of Members of National Assembly in order to vote, one must have his/her name appeared on the voter list and must have a Khmer Identity Card (KIC). He reiterated that the elections in Cambodia were divided into two major steps – the step of voter list revision and voter registration and next step of the election. In order for these two steps to proceed, based on the applicable laws in force, the NEC must develop regulations and procedures for the election as well as other legislative documents for election officials and stakeholders to implement. With regard to the regulations and procedures for the election prior to approving and promulgating it officially, the NEC submitted a draft bill to all stakeholders, including political parties, non-governmental organizations, associations and relevant state institutions to participate in providing comments and then collect those comments for review and discussion prior to the approval of the NEC.
H.E Mr. Prach Chan also informed and compared to the last voter registration in 1998, which was done manually with the current voter registration, which was based on a computerized system to form voter lists, and the voter lists were updated annually. The number of eligible voters whose names on the voter lists has increased gradually in 2022, 89.28% of whom were over 18, whereas 90.50% of whom were over 18 (10,162,232) by 2025.
In another case, H.E Mr. Prach Chan informed about the election phase, which was divided into three small steps and the procedures for implementing each step, including registration of the lists of candidates of political parties running for the election, the electoral campaign and polling and ballot counting. The NEC was broadly open to the participation of all political parties which were legally registered with the Ministry of Interior and has made it easy for all political parties to participate on a level playing field. His Excellency underlined the transparency of election, certifying that the election was secret. Political party agents were present to observe all activities of the election process and ballot counting in the polling stations and the ballot counting stations. Political party agents have the right to file complaints and objections related to the election. If there were any complaints related to the election, the NEC would resolve them before announcing the official election results.
With regards to holding the upcoming election, H.E Mr. Prach Chan said that in 2026, the NEC would be holding the voter list revision and voter registration serving for the election of 6th Mandate Commune/Sangkat Councils. At the same time, draft regulations and procedures for the election have also been submitted to stakeholders for comments. During election phase, the NEC had many programs to be undertaken such as training and educational programs for election officials and election stakeholders, public outreach by all means which were included via online radio and television and so on. In particular, the NEC always organized regular meetings with stakeholders involved in the election, both at the national and provincial levels and this meeting was an opportunity for stakeholders to participate and provide electoral comments and suggestions for the NEC for considerations and resolutions.
H.E Mr. Prach Chan informed about the assistance of the Japanese government through the JICA, which has operated voter education centers at the Provincial/Capital Election Secretariats in three provinces: Kampong Thom, Kampong Cham, and Takeo province, and assistances in the form of new technical equipment and server system worth approximately 5.4 million US dollars for all voter database management. With respect to public relations work with other international parties, the NEC often met with embassies and international organizations. The NEC was also a member of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) and that of Network for Strengthening the Electoral Capacity of Francophone Countries (RECEF).
After having listened to H.E Mr. Prach Chan’s remarks, Mr. Thomas Andrews expressed particular interest in the 1998 elections, because also had participated as an election observer at that time. He also thanked H.E Mr. Prach Chan for his comprehensive delibration about the election process in Cambodia and he would continue to monitor the process of democracy, elections, and human rights in Cambodia.
The meeting lasted more than one hour and concluded in a warm and friendly manner.
