Cambodians are called upon to renew a National Assembly totally won over to Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday, during an election widely described as a sham, any credible opposition having been excluded.
In this election tightly controlled by the regime, the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) of Hun Sen, which occupies the 125 seats of the outgoing chamber, should again easily obtain a large majority.
In power for 38 years, the 70-year-old Prime Minister, whose methods are considered authoritarian, is applying for a new mandate with the virtual guarantee of obtaining it.
The leader is now preparing his legacy, wishing to cement control before handing over – possibly within 3 to 4 weeks, he said in an interview this week – to his eldest son, four-star general Hun Manet, trained in the United States and Britain.
“In the best of cases, once in power, Hun Manet would allow a now victimized opposition party like the Candle Party to participate in the elections, without any real chance of winning,” Sebastian Strangio, author of a book on Cambodia under Hun Sen, told AFP.
Imposing his son, “it’s a stab in the back of the Cambodian people” from the leader, according to Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch, a human rights NGO.
“Today is a day of victory for us,” Hun Manet said Friday morning at the final campaign rally, promising that the kingdom will regain the pride of the Khmer empire that ruled the region for 500 years in the Middle Ages.
Faced with a tide of supporters, under a giant portrait of his father, he urged Cambodians to vote for the ruling party, the only one “capable of leading Cambodia”, before leading a procession of several thousand vehicles through the capital.
Hun Sen’s critics accuse him of rolling back freedoms and using the legal system to muzzle his opponents.
The weeks preceding the legislative elections were marked by the tightening of his iron fist towards his opponents, deprived of their freedom or in exile.
Between political repression, environmental destruction and rampant corruption, Hun Sen has profoundly transformed the small poor kingdom of Southeast Asia, whose economy depends largely on China and international aid.
“Our hope of (establishing) a real democracy is fading,” Vanna, 30, told AFP in a cafe, refusing to give her full identity. Ordinary Cambodians are increasingly nervous about criticizing the government.
“I think it’s still a very unfair election,” adds Vanna.
In the last national poll in 2018, Hun Sen’s CPP won all the seats after a court dissolved the main opposition party.
This time it was the Candle Party, the prime minister’s only credible rival, that was kicked out of the race for failing to register properly with the electoral commission.
“Since the Candle Party will not be able to participate in the elections, it will not be free and fair,” said Rong Chhun, vice president of the movement to AFP, stressing that voters have no choice but to vote for the CPP.
“The absence of the Candle Party in the race is a setback for democracy and freedom,” he said.
For the 17 parties still in the running, it is difficult to compete with the real war machine of Hun Sen, whose party is able to unite tens of thousands of supporters offering the population t-shirts and caps bearing his image.
“Despite this, they need legitimacy, they seek to minimize discontent,” political analyst Virak Ou told AFP.
Mistrust grew as Hun Sen brought his country closer to China. “He understands that there is a risk in doing so and that’s why he is always very careful,” he says.
But such a campaign does not fool anyone and just allows Hun Sen to pretend that the election is legitimate, believes Phil Robertson.
“In reality, he did everything to make sure he didn’t encounter any real opposition.”
07/21/2023 10:41:39 – Phnom Penh (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
