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Cambodia's newly-formed election body's chief meets with EU, Japanese diplomats

Xinhua, April 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

Sek Bunhok, chairman of the Cambodia's newly-formed National Election Committee (NEC), on Friday met with delegations from the European Union and Japan for the first time to seek their assistance for the process of the electoral reforms, NEC's spokesman Hang Puthea said.

The delegations were led by Jean-Francois Cautain, Ambassador of the European Union to Cambodia, and Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia Yuji Kumamaru.

"This was the first time that NEC's new leadership convened the meeting with the delegations," he told reporters after the meeting. "The Japanese Ambassador asserted that a Japanese expert would come to Cambodia in May to further study the possibilities to assist the NEC."

He said the NEC wanted EU and Japan to help prepare the new voter lists and educate voters about electoral laws and regulations.

Jean-Francois Cautain told reporters after the meeting that both EU and Japan are pleased to provide support to the NEC in order to ensure free and fair elections in the future.

The new NEC was officially formed on April 13 after Prime Minister Hun Sen, vice-president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party, and Sam Rainsy, president of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, reached an agreement on July 22 last year to end the opposition's 10-month boycott of parliament following the 2013 elections.

Its 9-member leadership comprised four people chosen by each party, and one "neutral" person, who is not related to political parties. Endi