The 'second generation': Cambodia elections 'free & fair', but challenges remain.

• Position: Includes related articles on overseas polling station at UN New York, New York headquarters, narrative of one UN worker's monitoring of the Cambodian elections and UN humanitarian efforts - United Nations developments - Cover Story

Marking the culmination of what UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali has termed the "largest and most ambitious operation" ever undertaken by the UN, the Security Council on 15 June formally endorsed the results of the general elections in Cambodia, which had taken place from 23 to 28 May in an atmosphere described as generally peaceful and often festive.

More than 4 million Cambodians - representing 89.6 per cent of the registered voters - had cast their ballots during the five-day, multi-party elections conducted by the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). UN personnel had established 1,400 fixed polling stations and 200 mobile teams to reach voters in remote areas. In addition, UNTAC had organized the month-long political campaign for the elections. More than 1, 500 meetings and rallies had been held, attended by some 800,000 people.

"Nothing the UN has ever done can match this operation", the Secretary-General asserted at the start of the electoral process in April. UNTAC "illustrates the challenges of the second generation of United Nations operations".

His Special Representative for Cambodia, Yasushi Akashi, at a 16 July press conference in New York, said that UNTAC had achieved a "resounding success". While the 17-month-old operation had been "far from perfect", he said, it had combined "firmness with flexibility" to reach a positive outcome.

The newly-elected Constituent Assembly was sworn in on 14 June, just two weeks after the polling ended. Work has begun on the drafting of a Constitution which is to be adopted within three months. After that, the body is to transform itself into a legislative assembly to create a new government for Cambodia.

Diplomatic success

The elections, as the focal point of the comprehensive settlement in Cambodia, were "a diplomatic success for the United Nations", Mr. Boutros-Ghali told the Austrian Parliament on 16 June in Vienna.

Notwithstanding the successful holding of the election and the creation of a Constituent Assembly, the post-election period had not been without difficulties, he reported on 16 July (S/26090).

Cambodia still faced enormous problems of security, stability, mine clearance, infrastructure improvement and general economic and social development, the report continued. The political-military situation remained fragile and the tasks before the new government were "difficult and challenging".

The right of Cambodians to determine their own political future through the free and fair election of a constituent assembly had been affirmed under the 1991 Agreement on Comprehensive Political Settlement of the Cambodia Conflict, known as the Paris Agreements. The Agreements, the culmination of more than a decade of negotiations, also invited the Security Council to establish UNTAC, which began operations in March 1992.

The Cambodian operation - which includes military, human rights, civilian police, civil administration, refugee repatriation and rehabilitation components, in addition to its electoral mandate - would "influence the nature and scope of future United Nations mandates and operations world", the Secretary-General said in an address to UNTAC staff in Phnom Penh on 8 April.

High turnout

On 29 May - the day vote counting began - the Secretary - General's Special Representative declared on behalf of the UN that in view of the high turnout throughout the country, the absence of violence or disruption during polling, the success of the technical conduct of the poll, and the calm and peaceful atmosphere that reigned throughout the polling period, the conduct of the election had been free and fair. After all the votes had been counted, the elections were officially declared as free and fair on 10 June at a meeting of the Supreme National Council (SNC).

Transmitting election results to the Council, the Secretary-General reported (S/25913) on 10 June that three of the four Cambodian parties signatories to the Paris Agreements took part in the electoral process: the Front uni national pour un Cambodge independant, neutre, pacifique et cooperatif (FUNCINPEC), which received 1,824,188 or 45.5 per cent of the vote; the Party of the State of Cambodia (SOC) through the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), with 1,533,471 votes or 38.2 per cent and the Khmer People Liberation Front/Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party (KPNLF/BLDP), which received 152,764 votes or 3.8 per cent. The vote gave FUNCINPEC 58 seats in the Constituent Assembly, 51 for CPP, 10 to KPNLF/BLDP and one to the Molinaka and Naktaorsou Khmere for Freedom (MOLINAKA).

The fourth signatory party - the Party of Democratic Kampuchea (PDK) - failed to register as a political party, took no part in the election and threatened to disrupt it with violence, according to the report. Nevertheless, PDK has declared that it will accept the outcome of the elections.

Voters undaunted

Aside from a few incidents, the elections took place in a "peaceful and often festive atmosphere, with voters sometimes walking several miles to cast their ballots, apparently undaunted by threats of violence or banditry, rough terrain or the heavy rain that swept much of the country", the report continued.

The counting of the votes had proceeded more slowly than anticipated, because of the need to ensure accuracy and...