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The Paris Peace Accord in 1991 put an end to the civil war in Cambodia and paved the way for the estab- lishment of democracy in Cambodia. Since the 1993 UN sponsored election, Cambodia has made efforts to rehabilitate governance in various sectors, including local governance. In 2001 Cambodia enacted two laws pertinent to local governance – a law on the administration and management of communes and a law on commune council elections. The commune council is the lowest level of the Cambodian public administra- tion system and ensures good governance at the local level. With these laws Cambodia successfully held three commune council elections in 2002, 2008, and 2012.

In this paper, I will discuss what effects globalization has had on Cambodia. I will compare the old political system in Cambodia in 1970s to the new system that has evolved since the civil war, and the invasion by Vietnam. This comparison shows the way in which globalization has made Cambodia grow significantly in terms of the expansion in economy, creation more jobs, increased foreign investment and foreign aid. On the other hand, globalization also has impacted Cambodian society by exploiting the Cambodian people in cheap labor forces. There are many international organizations such as UNICEF, UNDP, IMF and World Bank that have provided aid like technical support, grants and loans to help to improve physical structure such as, infrastructure, human resources, and health care in this country.

This Report analyses Cambodia’s development dynamism over the last two decades and identifies emerging development priorities for the next two. It examines Cambodia’s past performance, emerging priorities and future challenges in economic, social, environmental and political spheres.

Exercising the fundamental right to vote in most countries depends largely on the existence of an accurate and complete voter registry. The maintenance and upkeep of such a voter registry can be particularly challenging in countries with insufficient records, transient populations or weak infrastructure. Moreover, voter registries are susceptible to manipulation for electoral advantage. Inaccurate voter registries have led to numerous post-election conflicts in elections held around the world and have disenfranchised many eligible voters. In Cambodia, some political parties and civil society groups have expressed concerns about the accuracy of the voter registry and a lack of confidence in the registration process. Verification of the accuracy of a voter registry through a voter registry audit (VRA) can help to detect and deter electoral fraud, correct administrative errors, and promote broad public confidence in the process on election day and beyond.