23-7-2023 (PHNOM PENH) Cambodians headed to the polls on Sunday (July 23) in elections that are all but guaranteed to extend Prime Minister Hun Sen’s 33-year rule as he seeks to cement his political legacy by anointing his eldest son as his successor.
The longtime 70-year-old leader, a former Khmer Rouge commander, has ruled Cambodia since 1985 and faces no real electoral competition as opposition parties have been banned, candidates forced into exile and freedom of expression stifled. His Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) is likely to sweep all 125 seats in the National Assembly, prolonging his iron grip on power and laying the groundwork for a hereditary transition that some critics have likened to North Korea.
The only serious opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) was controversially dissolved on a technicality ahead of the vote, rendering a CPP landslide victory virtually assured. Of the 17 minor opposition parties competing, very few are expected to win seats due to lack of funding and political experience.
Prime Minister Hun Sen cast his ballot shortly after polling stations opened at 7 am, according to reporters on the scene. More than 9.7 million Cambodians are registered to vote in the seventh election held under UN supervision to restore democracy following years of conflict, including the Khmer Rouge era, that left the country in ruins.
Over the past 30 years, hopes for a thriving multiparty democracy in Cambodia have been dashed as Hun Sen has tightened his authoritarian grip. The strongman leader has begun planning for his political exit, indicating that he intends to hand over the reins of power to his son, Hun Manet – possibly in the coming weeks. The 45-year-old general led the CPP’s final campaign rally on Friday, declaring it a “victory day” for Cambodia.
Critics say the elections are a sham and rights groups have condemned the polls. On the eve of voting, 17 coalition groups including the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and the International Federation for Human Rights characterized the electoral process as “notably lacking in transparency, fairness and inclusivity.”
The only real challenge to the CPP’s dominance had come from the now-dissolved Candlelight Party (CP). The electoral body refused to register the CP in May, disqualifying it from running after it surprisingly won 22% of votes in last year’s commune elections.
Internationally, Hun Sen has played China and the U.S. against each other, racking up huge Chinese investments with no strings attached regarding democratic reforms.
Ahead of the vote, freedom of speech was heavily curtailed with the closure of the final independent news outlet, Voice of Democracy. Last month, Hun Sen changed election laws barring anyone who fails to vote from ever running for office – targeting exiled opponents like Sam Rainsy, who has lived in self-imposed exile in France for a decade to avoid convictions he says are politically motivated.
Kem Sokha, leader of the now-dissolved CNRP, remains under house arrest after being sentenced to 27 years for treason in an alleged plot to overthrow the government with foreign assistance.
As large posters of Hun Sen blanketed Phnom Penh in the run-up to elections, many Cambodians are now looking to Hun Manet, educated in the U.S. and U.K., wondering if a new leader might bring change. A 73-year-old Cambodian told AFP: “For me, I want to see his work first then I can evaluate … For now, I cannot evaluate anything.”
Polls close at 3 pm with early results expected within hours.
