Report on Survey Findings from the 2012 Commune Council Candidate Debates

In May, 2012, NDI organized 10 public debates for candidates competing in the June 3, 2012, commune council elections. To promote a wider audience than the public in attendance, NDI recorded and broadcast the debates prior to the election on three Cambodian radio stations. NDI commissioned a Cambodian research firm to conduct a 1,200 person survey from Aug. 16 to Sept. 4, 2012, approximately three months after the debates and election occurred.

Thirteen percent of respondents reported listening to the debates on the radio, equivalent to almost one million of the Cambodian adult population. Among the respondents who reported listening:

• 79% said the debates changed their opinion of one or more of the political parties or their candidates;
• 82% reported the debates treated the candidates fairly and respectfully;
• 89% said the candidates spoke to the issues that are most important to them and their family; and
• 85% reported the debates increased their confidence in election fairness in Cambodia.