Cambodia's ruling party predicts overwhelming victory in "simulated" elections

Published at 8:48 am, July 29, 2018

Updated 07:45, 29 July, 2018 [19659004] OPEN PROBES. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (C) voted in the general elections in the image of his wife Bun Rany (center L) in Phnom Penh on July 29, 2018. Manan Vatsyayana / AFP
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OPEN PROBES. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (C) voted in the general elections in the image of his wife Bun Rany (center L) in Phnom Penh on July 29, 2018. Manan Vatsyayana / AFP

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (2nd UPDATE) – The ruling party in Cambodia predicts a landslide victory Sunday, July 29, an election to a horse, expected result after the ban on the main opposition, paving the way for his leader Hun Sen his 33 years in power.

Hun Sen, who came to power in 1985 in a country still in the grip of civil war, cracked down on dissent on the eve of the election, exerting pressure on civil society, independent media, and political opponents.

The National Electoral Commission said voter turnout was 82%, exceeding the final figure in 2013 by about 69%.

The 65-year-old prime minister, a former defector of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, has made stability and growth the fruits of his rule – a message that resonates with his base.

"The compatriots have chosen the path of democracy and have used their rights," Hun Sen said on his official Facebook page in a seeming slide to the opposition, which called for a boycott.

A spokesman for the ruling party predicted a great victory

But there were also signs of discouragement and indifference, and an expert on the Southeast Asian elections said that the turnout was misleading. the party, in this case the Cambodian People's Party, relies more on intimidation of voters, relies on buying more votes, and the voter turnout should be inflated in this way " , said Lee Morgenbesser of the School of International Relations at Griffith University.

Images of spoiled ballots circulated on social media, but they could not be verified from France-Presse correspondents saw dozens of blank newsletters set aside during the counting process.

"I did not vote, I slept at my house" , said Khem Chan Vannak, former elected commune chief in Cambodia.

"Many of my friends did not go to vote."

Western governments withdrew their aid from the election, citing its lack of credibility.

Nineteen small – or up to now unknown – parties oppo Hun Sen's ruling party in the absence of the CNRP. But analysts say that they are too obscure or new to make a significant difference.

The PPC has won all elections since 1998.

The opposition, whose leaders are in prison, underground or in exile, called for a boycott of the vote as the only form of safe protest , a reference to the ink applied to people's hands after the vote.

Preliminary results are expected later Sunday.

"Fist of a dictator"

More than 8 million voters are registered in the 6th general election since polls organized by the United Nations in 1993. [19659006] At the time, the country was slowly emerging from decades of war, including the Khmer Rouge years of 1975-79 which killed a quarter of the population

Hun Sen was installed only 32 years as a national chief during the Vietnamese occupation from 1979 to 1989.

But a young population angered by corruption and with little memory of the Khmer Rouge era put the longevity of the ruling party

Their votes have helped the CNRP to obtain more than 44% of the vote in 2013 and a similar share in local elections last year.

"The CNRP offered a promise of responsive and uncorrupted governance, and People wanted to give them a chance," said Phil Robertson, deputy director of Asia Division at Human Rights Watch.

But Hun Sen has stifled the imminent electoral threat, accusing the rescue group of being involved in a plot to overthrow "

" It's a story of how democratic dreams are dying under the fist of a dictator, "added Robertson

The Supreme Court dissolved the party in November 2017, paving the way for a CPP.

A climate of fear led by members of the ruling party at the local level made many openly hesitate to criticize the vote

The election committee, which was accused of bias towards the ruling party, claimed was not Intimidation of Voters

Power and Patronage

Hun Sen has maintained his hold on the country through political and family alliances in the police, the army and the media .

With the control of vast areas of the state, he placed his sons in key positions in what analysts see as an attempt to create a dynasty

The United States and the United States. European Union refused to send observers for the election, but the ally of Cambodia has provided support. An opposition figure who lives in exile in France, said the electoral victory was a "hollow".

The CNRP called on Cambodians not to vote in "simulated elections that have no support and are not recognized by the international community".

The authorities have promised to take action against anyone who advocates a vote boycott, even though they insist that voting is not mandatory. – Rappler.com