The Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL) published the findings of their monitoring of the 2022 Commune and Sangkat Council Elections.

COMFREL looked at several components of the election including the legal framework, election administration and management, campaign environment and the conduct of the polling and counting procedures on Election Day, among others.

The campaign was conducted calmly with no violence nor confrontation between political parties. COMFREL, however, raised concern about several irregularities including the involvement of civil servants and armed forces in the campaign, inequality of using public spaces, intimidation through threats of voters and candidates.

On Election Day, COMFREL observed that there were authorities such as village members and chiefs and commune chiefs, among others, inside and outside or near polling stations. There were also reported cases of people not being able to vote due to missing or discrepancies of names in the voters list or having no election identification document.

During the counting process, the following were observed: election observers were not allowed inside some polling stations, some polling officers failed to post the minute of ballot counting, there was lack of transparency in some polling stations as the doors or windows were closed.

COMFREL collaborated with several partner organizations and deployed 1,858 observers. Partner organizations include: Youth Resource Development Program, People Center for Development and Peace, Peace Bridge Organization, Gender and Development for Cambodia, Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association, Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights, Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association, Coalition of Cambodia Farmer Community Association, and Coalition for Integrity and Social Accountability Organization.

First published on COMFREL's website on 27 September 2022. Read the report here: "Finding and Summary Report on the Commune/Sankat Council Election 2022" (English | Khmer)