The law should set the hierarchy of norms (regulations, directives, reminder directives, manuals, guidelines, decisions and instructions developed by the NEC and relevant ministries).

The government must do more than give public assurances that the murder and intimidation of journalists will be properly investigated. The EU EOM strongly supports the call by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia for the Cambodian government to conduct a prompt, thorough and credible investigation into the murder of Moneaksekar Khmer journalist Khim Sambo on 11 July 2008, as well as previous attacks. Of the eight similar murders and attempted murders of journalists in Cambodia since 1994, nonehas ever been resolved. This fosters an atmosphere of impunity for the perpetrators of such crimes, as well as a climate of self-censorship among journalists, who feel unable to act in the public interest and expose wrongdoing for fear of the consequences.

Political parties should make a real commitment to end coercive campaign practices including abstain from vote-buying and ensure that they comply fully with the Code of Conduct

"Definitions for some important terms (such as ""minor offence"", ""flagrant delicto"", ""affecting the election results"") should be included in the LEMNA and/or the Regulations and Procedures."

A legal obligation for the Election Commissions to closely cooperate with the court in case of election-related serious crimes should be established, in order to ensure that an investigation is conducted without delay.

Political parties should be allowed to register without the requirement to nominate a full list of alternative candidates. Furthermore, the requirement for parties to provide lists twice the size of the number of seats per constituency should be reduced.

The NEC and the commune councils should conduct intensive voter education before and during the annual updating of the voter register in order to enable as many eligible voters as possible to register.

Political parties should invest in developing their internal capacity and structures including knowledge-sharing to build a permanent presence across the country and in Cambodian political life at all levels.

Political party representatives at provincial and communal level and candidates’ agents should receive more profound training in key legal aspects of the election such as how to file complaints and their role in ensuring checks and balances in election periods

The international donor community should continue to support initiatives that contribute to the development and consolidation of a pluralist Cambodian society as prescribed in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

The election legislation should also establish and further detail the rights of election observers and candidate and party representatives, especially their rights during the consolidation of results.

The vague prohibitions of defamation in the Electoral Law and similar provisions prohibiting defamation and ‘divisionism’ in the Law governing the Press and the Law instituting Punishment for Offences of Discrimination and Sectarianism, should be more clearly defined. This was already recommended with respect to the Law instituting Punishment for Offences of Discrimination and Sectarianism already by the EU EOM 2003.

The Electoral Law and its subsequent amendments should be integrated in a consolidated version of the Electoral Law or in the foreseen Electoral Code in order to simplify their application. The translations of the different official language versions (English, French) of the electoral legislation should be reviewed in order to eliminate any linguistic inconsistencies.

While the 2004 Law on the Supreme Court provides some improvements, complaints and appeals procedures concerning election campaign violations should be outlined more in detail. Appropriate mechanisms for challenges/appeals against decisions related to the voter register should be established.

Regulations and procedures issued by the NEC should be reviewed and where necessary clearer, more precise and more detailed provisions should be proposed. It should be ensured that NEC procedures are properly enforced.
a. The use of additional voter lists should be limited and a reconciliation system for persons voting outside of their original place of registration needs to be introduced.
b. Detailed procedures should clearly establish the sealing of ballot boxes and the use of the numbered seals before voting starts, after voting finishes and after counting is completed.
c. Detailed procedures should reinforce the use of indelible ink to avoid double voting.

The NEC should issue further guidelines to ensure the implementation of the reconciliation of ballot papers by enforcement of the existing law and procedures.

The National Electoral Commission is advised to put in place a numbering system for polling stations and polling centres.

Civil society should be further developed, perhaps through government and/or donor- funded programmes, to enable it to play its role in deepening democratic culture in the Rwandan society.

A clearer distinction between civic education and voter information is recommended. Civic education should focus on universally accepted concepts of democracy, good governance, the separation of powers of the state, the role of the Parliament, the rights and duties of a citizen and should also include a focus on individual and minority rights.

Campaign regulations advising local administration officials and all government officials on procedures should be adopted to enforce complete neutrality during the exercise of their official functions should be enhanced and fully implemented.

Provisions in the law governing the media on defamation or ‘divisionism’, should be decriminalised and replaced with suitable and proportional measures. The current penalties are incompatible with international standards in this field.

Desirable - Strengthen the powers of the CNE by ensuring that they have more direct support from different government departments that assist in the delivery of electoral support rather than having to rely on the CIPE to coordinate this support on their behalf.
Addressed to - National Assembly.
Possible Improvements Suggested - Set CNE budgets more accurately and in advance to ensure that funds arrive on time.
Timeline - By May 2009.

Desirable - Tasks & responsibilities of lower levels of electoral administration should be more clearly defined.
Addressed to - CNE.
Possible Improvements Suggested:
- Conduct more training for GMEs and CPEs.
- Give GMEs more responsibility for checking polling station results after the election and allow CPEs to tabulate provincial results in accordance with the law.
- Creation of an overall management post to facilitate communication and information sharing.
- Re-locate logistics section under the directorate of Organization (DOETTI)
- Devolve more decision making powers to the directorates.
- Recruit of new professional staff to fill identified gaps in the administration structure.
Timeline - Over next year.

Desirable - Ensure that there is a timetable for decision making and that this is adhered to.
Addressed to - CNE.
Possible Improvements Suggested:
- Conduct more training for GMEs and CPEs.
- Give GMEs more responsibility for checking polling station results after the election and allow CPEs to tabulate provincial results in accordance with the law.
- Creation of an overall management post to facilitate communication and information sharing.
- Re-locate logistics section under the directorate of Organization (DOETTI)
- Devolve more decision making powers to the directorates.
- Recruit of new professional staff to fill identified gaps in the administration structure.
Timeline - Over next year.

Essential - Review The Election Law and its Regulation in a consultative and participatory manner, with the CNE at the centre of the review to better define procedures taking into consideration proper safeguards against electoral fraud, even where hi tech procedures may be envisaged.
Addressed to - National Assembly and the CNE.
Possible Improvements Suggested:
- Highlight the essential role of the voter register and underline that its consistent use should be mandatory at all polling stations.
- Voters should have to sign their names against the voters list as a safeguard against proxy voting and ballot stuffing.
- Revise the regulation so that is harmonizes with Election law in that voters fingers must be checked for indelible ink before they are handed the ballot and are inked after they have voted.
- Revise the time of closing polling stations to 17.00 so that counting can commence in daylight hours.
- Eliminate the requirement in the Regulation on the Electoral Law that domestic observers have to provide a current certificate of criminal record check (registo criminal).
Timeline - Within six months.