NEC to test online election system next year

NEC to test online election system next year

Cambodia will test run an online election process early next year to evaluate the effectiveness of such a system for the Kingdom.

“The move is aimed at assessing the effectiveness of the monitoring and verification processes during an election,” National Election Committee (NEC) Deputy Secretary General Som Sorida said in a statement on Friday.

“The pilot voting exercise will be held only in some target communes as determined by the NEC and not nationwide,” he said.

If the pilot project is successful, the online election process will be used in the 2022 commune elections and 2023 general election, Sorida added.

He said the electronic online exercise will also include political party registrations and listing of candidates.

“The project will also cover the announcements of preliminary and officially verified results, seat allocations and the list of elected candidates,” he said.

Prior to conducting the pilot project, the NEC will prepare rules and procedures and consult stakeholders, Sorida said.

NEC spokesman Hang Puthea told Khmer Times yesterday that for the upcoming pilot project, political parties and candidates will be registered online instead of manually.

“Online registration will avoid duplication in registrations,” he said. “Providing information on seat allocations will be made online.”

Puthea said NEC will randomly select areas in the communes and political parties can use the online platform to register their candidates.

In a meeting with JICA chief representative Kamei Haruko on November 26, NEC president Sik Bunhok requested further cooperation with Japan on implementing an electronic voting process and requested the Japanese side to continue to provide equipment, including 2,000 laptops and 2,000 power banks for the pilot project. Khmer Times