"All authorities and armed forces at all levels must do their duty to protect the safety of the elections, political parties, candidates and the safety of all voters," Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a national broadcast.

"We must keep political stability and neutrality for the political climate."

His speech came on the eve of the official election campaign launch for the July 27 polls and is part of an almost daily reminder to the armed forces of a standing order, issued mid-last year, to stay out of politics.

The National Election Committee (NEC), the body tasked with staging the elections, also added its voice saying the world will focus on Cambodia's evolving democracy from its communist past during the voting.

"The royal armed forces, military police and national police at all levels have to keep neutral, and have the real will to push and create a neutral political climate," NEC spokesman Leng Sochea told reporters.

NEC officials said some 15,481 local and 174 international election monitors have arrived in the country but the number of foreign observers is expected to exceed 1,000 as the July 27 polls draw nearer.

Killings and violence during the lead-up to the February 2002 district polls stopped monitors from declaring those elections free and fair.

The 1998 polls were also marred by post-electoral violence and this time round the European Union has warned future financial aid to Cambodia's donor dependent economy will depend on how these elections are conducted.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell has also dangled the promise of increased aid, if the elections are declared free and fair.

To date, the lead-up to these polls has received a mixed response.

Human rights advocates claim up to 18 killings were electorally-related although authorities say none of the deaths had a political connection.

The US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) said this was improbable but others have praised Cambodia for recording substantially less violence than in previous electoral run-ups.

The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) found in a preliminary report released Tuesday that there had been a significant decrease in violence compared with past elections.

"The overall situation in provinces before the campaign period is generally calm (amid) no serious election-related violence with a few exceptions like the murder case of a SRP activist in Kompong Cham province in early June," it said.

Twenty-five political parties registered for the vote, however, two failed to win NEC clearance and a third withdrew from the race last week.

Of the majors, Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) is widely regarded as overwhelming favourite to win the ballot after it claimed more than 60 percent of the vote at last year's historic local district elections.

Analysts said the real race will be between the CPP's coalition partner the royalist FUNCINPEC party and the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP).

"One of those parties will be in a position to forge a coalition with the CPP after the elections. FUNCINPEC would be welcomed, the SRP would not and that result could prove contentious," one western observer said.

WAR.WIRE