A/HRC/26/16 campaign, the vote and the vote counting had been conducted smoothly and that almost all the national and international observers had assessed the electoral process positively. 16. The delegation indicated that, having received recommendations from various sources, such as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, the Government tasked the Ministry of the Interior with organizing, in the first semester of 2014, a national workshop with representatives of the legislative and executive branches, registered political parties, the National Election Committee, civil society and international organizations, development partners and other relevant stakeholders. The aim of this workshop would be to collect opinions, comments and recommendations to assist with drafting electoral reforms. 17. The delegation stated that the authorities had underlined the important role of civil society organizations as an effective partner of the Government. In this regard, it had offered encouragement to associations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and welcomed their participation in the socioeconomic development of the country and the promotion of democracy and human rights. 18. Regarding the right to association, the delegation mentioned the draft law on associations and NGOs, aimed at providing standards and conditions of registration which would facilitate the activities of associations and local and international NGOs in Cambodia. After discussions with associations, national and international organizations and representatives of other States, the draft law had been submitted to the Council of Ministers, which had unanimously approved it. 19. In regard to freedom of expression, the delegation noted that under article 41of the Constitution, any individual could express his or her opinion and had the right to freedom of expression. The delegation emphasized that the Government had encouraged discussion in public forums and permitted civil society organizations to express their opinions freely. In fact, there were NGOs, such as the Cambodian Human Rights Centre, the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association, the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights, the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute, which disseminated information on human rights and provided training on human rights throughout the country. 20. The delegation explained that in Cambodia there were 721 publishing media, 139 radio stations, 108 TV stations, 127 cable TV channels and countless social media networks which disseminated information without censorship. It further explained that citizens had the right to create their own website and disseminate their opinions freely. 21. Regarding the establishment of a national human rights institution, the delegation noted that a committee had been appointed to draft a law but that it had not worked out. In 2006, the Prime Minister had asked civil society organizations to draft a law based on the Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions (Paris Principles). A Working Group had then carried out a plan of action for drafting the law. Recently, the Prime Minister had proposed holding more discussions on this issue with civil society organizations. Once these consultations have taken place, a national workshop will be organized to collect inputs and recommendations from legal experts and other relevant stakeholders to improve the draft law and then it will be submitted to the Council of Minister for further legal action. 22. In relation to a national preventive mechanism on torture, the delegation stated that, in order to be in line with the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OP-CAT), in 2009 the Government had issued a sub-decree on the establishment of the mechanism. 5