Cambodian PM Hun Sen Claims Victory in General Election

Facts

• Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has declared a "landslide" victory in Sunday's general election, which critics denounced as the most unfree and unfair the country has seen in decades.¹
• He posted on his Telegram channel unofficial results estimating the CPP secured 120 seats and the royalist FUNCINPEC party won five. The CPP believes the party captured 78-80% of the total vote.²
• The US and EU, among others, had refused to send election observers, citing concerns about the electoral process as the main opposition party, the Candlelight Party, was barred from contesting the election by the National Election Committee.³
• After the poll, the US announced a pause in some foreign assistance programs in Cambodia and imposed visa bans on individuals who allegedly undermined democracy.⁴
• Hun Sen, who has been PM of Cambodia for 38 years, dismissed such claims by pointing out the record levels of turnout Sunday's vote saw, estimated to be 84% of the voting population — or some 8.1M people.⁵
• It is expected that the long-time ruler will step down as PM in favor of his eldest son, the Western-educated Hun Manet, as early as next month. There is little indication that Hun Manet's style of governance would differ from his father.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²NPR Online News, ³Washington Post, ⁴Reuters, ⁵CNN, and ⁶Guardian.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Phnom Penh Post. Turnout in the most recent Cambodian election was overwhelming, which is hardly a show of skepticism towards the Cambodian democratic process or the ruling government. Overseas opposition groups did everything in their power to disrupt the vote to no avail. Despite the absence of Western observers, NGOs and other governments observed the vote and gave their endorsement to the process in Cambodia, showing that the voice of the people will be heard.
• Narrative B, as provided by Toronto Star. This election was democratic in name only, as widespread harassment and obstruction of opposition figures all but assured that Hun Sen would secure victory. Cambodia is the Southeast Asian country closest to China, and its neighbors have long voiced concerns of its increasingly flawed democracy. The vote was a carefully crafted sham, designed to give the Beijing-backed CPP a veneer of respectability.