Politicians Jumping Ahead of Campaign: Expert
By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
09 May 2008
Though the law calls for campaigning only in the month leading into
Election Day, parties have already started, a democracy observer said
Thursday.
=93We see the ruling party campaigning and broadcasting on TV and radio,
and the opposition visits directly to help people solve problems like
land conflicts and so on,=94 said Ly Sothearayuth, a senior program
officers at the National Democratic Institute, on =93Hello VOA.=94
With less than three months to go for the election, many voters say
they are concerned with media bias. Observers say most of the media is
skewed to the ruling Cambodian People=92s Party, and voters say they
aren=92t hearing enough about other parties.
Parties can buy airtime, Ly Sothearayuth said, but it=92s expensive.
=93The ruling party has a lot of resources, and they buy all the
airtime,=94 he said. =93Also, another question is that it depends on the
station manager, whether he wants or dares to sell airtime to other
parties.=94
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