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Ambassador Mussomeli observes voter registration process at Tonle Basac Commune Office.
Ambassador Mussomeli Visits Commune Voter Registration Site
Tonle Bassac Commune, Phnom Penh
October 16, 2007
Acting in his capacity as an NEC-approved International Observer for the 2008 Election of the National Assembly, U.S. Ambassador Joseph A. Mussomeli visited the Tonle Bassac Commune office to observe the voter registration process. During the visit, Ambassador Mussomeli observed the Commune Clerk, Commune Chief, and Commune Council members as they received the registration applications of potential new voters. As an international observer, the Ambassador joined other NEC-approved observers and party agents in reviewing the registration process.
Aside from emphasizing the importance of an open and accountable voter registration process subject to outside monitoring, the Ambassador’s visit was intended to highlight the opportunity for all Cambodians of legal voting age to exercise their democratic right to vote in the 2008 national election. Registration for next July’s election closes on October 20. The Embassy of the United States of America urges all Cambodians – regardless of party affiliation – to register to vote.
According to Ambassador Mussomeli, "Every Cambodian should be proud to exercise his or her right to vote. Cambodia has boasted strong voter turnout in the last three national elections. Now is the time to register and show the world that all Cambodians are keen to choose their leaders."
Tonle Bassac Commune, which covers an area with garment factories and large urban settlements, was estimated through the NEC registration process to have as many as 4,168 new voters eligible to register. According to the Commune Clerk, however, as of October 9 only 1,320 voters had registered in the Commune. Nationwide, the NEC reported October 5 that just over 55 percent of the estimated 680,000 newly eligible voters had registered to date.
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