(Preah Vihear): Samdech Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate, announced that the Senate will undertake a legal amendment to the Senate election law, changing the structure so that elections will be held by province, not by electoral region.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen clarified that this reform aims to increase accountability among Senate members at the local level, speaking on Friday (Jun. 27) during a meeting with local council members in Preah Vihear province.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen said, “Today, I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all commune and sangkat council members who voted in support of Senate candidates. I also thank those who voted for district and provincial council members. I deeply appreciate it.”

He continued, “This is Region 8, which includes six provinces: Kampong Thom, Preah Vihear, Stung Treng, Kratie, Ratanakiri, and Mondulkiri. Currently, it is very difficult to ensure accountability with this electoral setup. I’ve set only two main objectives for the fifth Senate term: First, to strengthen accountability between senators and electoral councils, meaning senators must meet regularly with commune and sangkat councils, and must go down to the grassroots themselves. I do not want senators merely collecting salaries in Phnom Penh.”

Samdech explained that having one electoral region for six provinces and six senators creates confusion over which senator is responsible for which province. He added, “The best method, based on preliminary discussions with some senior leaders, is to adopt a voting system like the National Assembly’s—by using provinces as electoral centres instead of regions. For example, if I represent Preah Vihear, then I must go to Preah Vihear directly and specifically. Therefore, this reform could see the current eight electoral regions expanded to over 25 provincial-level voting centres. The process could begin as early as September or October.”
=FRESH NEWS