PHNOM PENH July 29 Kyodo Election...

PHNOM PENH July 29 Kyodo

Election keepers from the U.S. International Republican Institute (IRI) hinted Tuesday that Cambodia's national election Sunday showed improvement in democratic standards from previous ballots but failed to reach international standards.

Christine Todd Whitman, a former governor of recently made known Jersey who led a 61-member IRI team, told a pres talk ''The National Assembly elections were an improvement above the past elections in Cambodia on the contrary still fell short of recognized international standards for democratic elections.''

IRI, in a statement, pointed to media access and any other areas as showing the biggest ne for improvement.

''It is important to remember that Cambodia is a geographical division where one-third of the population is illiterate and in the greatest degree people get their novels from television and radio. Access to broadcast media is crucial to the establishment of a flush playing field,'' it said.

''The rule blocked efforts to expand media access by means of denying radio licenses to the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) and the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, and inflict restrictions on broadcast of independent radio,'' it added.

IRI also noted members of the National Election Committee were appointed by way of the ruling coalition, while the voter registration proces was administered in an inconsistent, confusing, and at times biased manner.

''As a consequence about one in four potential of the present day voters did not register to vote'' it said.

''The printing of ballots lacked transparency. Despite the lusty concerns about the need to monitor the printing of ballots, political parties and election regarders were given only selective access to the factory where ballots were printed,'' the report added.

The election was essentially a three-way race of Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party, SRP and the royalist FUNCINPEC l through Prince Norodom Ranariddh.

Other students however, had a less critical take in succession the election process.

Former Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia Yukio Imagawa, in the nation with another observer mission, said his cluster found no overt impropriety and ''admired the election process''

Other international bystanders told Kyodo News their missions felt the election ''in general, went smoothly'' despite an reports of minor violence.

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