April 9, 2015
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia —
Cambodian lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a vote to remake the
country's electoral body on Thursday, part of a political deal to help
ensure fairness in the next national vote in 2018.
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy praised the move, calling it a "historic milestone for Cambodia."
Rainsy's
Cambodia National Rescue Party had criticized the previous electoral
commission for being biased and disputed results of the 2013 ballot,
triggering a political crisis and mass demonstrations that eased amid
negotiations with the government last year.
The new commission
will be comprised of four members from Rainsy's party, four from
strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen's party, and one neutral slot that will
go to the head of an independent electoral watchdog group.
Hun
Sen's authoritarian government has been in power for almost three
decades and is known for intimidating opponents. The opposition's
showing at the polls in 2013 had posed the biggest challenge to Hun Sen
in years.
Thursday's vote passed Cambodia's lower house of
parliament with 113 of 117 lawmakers in favor. The measure still needs
to be adopted by the Senate, but that is considered a formality.
Speaking
to National Assembly members Thursday, Hun Sen urged the new leadership
of National Election Committee "to perform their duty with full
responsibility before the face of the nation and history, and to set a
standard for democracy and pluralism."
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