Cambodian Representative Observes Russian Duma Elections Amidst International Scrutiny

Mr. Vann Sokuntha, a journalist from "Kampuchea Thmey Local," a prominent Cambodian media outlet, was invited to participate in the international observation mission for the election of the next State Duma members of the Russian Federation, conducting his observation in Moscow. He, along with observers and experts from various countries, monitored the electoral process which took place over three days, from September 18th to 20th. This marks Russia's first national parliamentary election since the commencement of the war in Ukraine in 2022. In his role as an international observer from Cambodia, Mr. Vann Sokuntha focused on understanding the electoral procedures, the status at polling stations, the preparations by the election commission, and related processes, closely monitoring the election's progression. The participation of international observers is organized to allow representatives from different countries to gain direct insight into Russia's electoral process and its preparations. In addition to observers from various countries, international observation missions from multilateral organizations were also present. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) observation mission began its work in Moscow and met with the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission of Russia to learn about the election preparations. Concurrently, the mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO PA) deployed nearly 100 observers to monitor the electoral process in different regions of Russia. Mr. Vann Sokuntha's participation in observing the elections in Moscow is part of his effort to directly understand the Russian electoral process and serves as a valuable experience for reporting to the Cambodian people from the event's location. Source: Kampuchea Thmey Local