Cambodian political parties kick off campaign for national election

Posted by Cambodian News

June 26, 2008

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia’s political parties kicked off campaigning Thursday for next month’s general election, which is almost certain to see the return to power of Asia’s longest-serving leader, Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Eleven parties are taking part in the July 27 polls for the 123-seat National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, with the winner forming a new government to run the country for the next five years.

Hun Sen’s long-running control over the levers of state and his unmatchable political instincts all but ensure that he will lead a return of his Cambodian People’s Party to office, with even his few serious rivals unlikely to mount a strong challenge.

Hun Sen, once a member of the ultra-leftist Khmer Rouge, has been at the helm of Cambodia since 1985, when he was made prime minister of a communist government installed by neighboring Vietnam. He became an elected prime minister in a democratic vote only after his party won an 1998 election. His party has tightened its grip on power since then, with 73 seats in the National Assembly.

“Results can be different, as many voters may not have yet made up their minds before they see how the campaign period goes up until the new election,” said Koul Panha, director of Comfrel, a Cambodian non-governmental election monitoring group.

A total of 8,125,529 Cambodians are registered voters, according to the National Election Committee.

They “must have self-confidence in deciding to choose the political party of their liking without any coercion, pressure and intimidation,” Hun Sen said in statement Tuesday.

He has in the past been accused of using strong-arm tactics against political foes.

Challengers seeking to unseat him include Sam Rainsy, the outspoken opposition leader who heads his self-named Sam Rainsy Party.

The party, which currently holds 24 seats in the National Assembly, has constantly accused Hun Sen’s government of corruption, human rights abuses and mismanagement of natural resources.

The Human Rights Party is making its debut in the election. It is led by Kem Sokha, a former human rights activist once jailed after what critics called a politically motivated criminal defamation lawsuit filed on behalf of Hun Sen.

The royalist Funcinpec party, which won a U.N.-sponsored election in 1993, has been weakened by internal rifts.

Since his expulsion as Funcinpec leader in 2006, Prince Norodom Ranariddh has formed his own self-named party to compete in the polls.

Source: iht.com