Youth Priorities Identified in New Report on Cambodian Elections

“….several priorities [were identified] for national policy in the upcoming [Cambodian] elections. These include Covid-19 Response, Job Creation, Social Protection for the Poor and Elderly, Youth Employment, Improving Access to Public Services and Agricultural Markets, Strengthening Law Enforcements, Promoting Technology, Eradicating Corruption as well as Fostering Social Justice. ” Kathrin Reed from Future Forum, made the remark during the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and Future Forum’s report launch entitled “Cambodian Commune and National Elections: Insights and Lessons” held yesterday, 2 June 2022.

“…voters are looking at what matters to them in their day-to-day [lives], it’s not just party politics/personality politics, but rather how elections… can support and sustain development”, said Michael Renfrew, Director for Research of Future Forum.

The election report, Cambodian Commune and National Elections: Insights and Lessons, contributes necessary understanding as to the current challenges and opportunities within the election cycle, with a particular focus on the view of young, educated voters. It is a tool for all relevant political, academic and civil society stakeholders who are interested to know how young people view national and local issues.

“… it’s very interesting to find that people, especially young people, are actually looking forward to participate in this democratic process through the election”, said  Mardi Seng, Treasurer of Candlelight Party, the biggest opposition party contesting the upcoming commune elections this Sunday, 5 June 2022.

The upcoming elections are once more viewed as a litmus test for both the ruling party and the disbanded CNRP, which has fractured into several smaller parties competing in the 2022 Commune Elections. These political parties are also featured in the report.

According to experts, the upcoming 2022 electoral process is viewed as an improvement over 2018’s elections. The participation and relatively strong presence of the Candlelight Party in the lead-up to the elections is perceived as a positive development. Although it is still unclear if the upcoming elections will meet the minimum standards for free and fair elections set out by the Committee for Free and Fair Elections (COMFREL), the outcome will serve as a “baseline” of voting behavior for the National Elections in 2023.

“…to hear about the hopes of the youth in Cambodia, and to also hear about how [the political opposition] is fighting to expand democracy spaces and possibly open the door for a brighter future, is really inspiring”, said Vanessa Steinmetz, Regional Project Coordinator of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in her closing remarks.