General Election Campaigning in Cambodia: A One-Sided Affirmation

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On Saturday, the official campaigning for Cambodia’s general election commenced, marking an exercise that serves more as a symbolic gesture towards democracy than an actual contest. This year, eighteen parties are participating in the polls, with approximately 9.7 million eligible voters tasked with electing 125 members of the National Assembly. The campaign period will conclude on July 21, followed by the election day on July 23.

With Prime Minister Hun Sen having held power for 38 years, his ruling Cambodian People’s Party is all but certain to achieve a resounding victory. The only potential rival capable of mounting a credible challenge, the Candlelight Party, was disqualified by the National Election Committee due to a technicality, leaving the ruling party with a virtually unopposed path to success.

This situation mirrors the events leading up to the previous general election in 2018 when the popular Cambodian National Rescue Party, which had performed strongly in local elections, was dissolved months before the polls. A controversial court ruling claimed the party had conspired to unlawfully overthrow the government, resulting in Hun Sen’s party claiming all the seats in the National Assembly.

The crackdown also forced the party’s prominent leaders, widely admired and capable politicians, into exile, where most of them remain to this day to evade unjust imprisonment on fabricated charges.

The highest-profile campaign activities on Saturday were orchestrated by Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party, which enjoys significant advantages in terms of manpower, funding, and organization. Clad in blue and white party attire, its supporters marched in large numbers through the capital, Phnom Penh, and other cities, while other parties conducted smaller-scale activities.

Prior to leading the march in the capital, Hun Sen, accompanied by fellow party leaders and several thousand supporters, gathered at a convention center, where the prime minister delivered a speech predominantly highlighting his administration’s accomplishments and presenting his party’s platform.

“I am confident that my fellow citizens, who have witnessed the progress of Cambodia in achieving peace, independence, unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, will continue to vote for the Cambodian People’s Party and me to lead the country in the seventh legislature,” Hun Sen stated in his speech, as per the English translation.

Hun Sen has expressed his intention to step down from the prime minister’s position after the election, desiring his eldest son, army commander Hun Manet, to succeed him.

Excluding the Candlelight Party from the ballot is just one of the efforts made to suppress Hun Sen’s opponents. Last week, the National Assembly unanimously approved changes to the country’s election law, which will disqualify individuals who fail to vote from running as candidates in future elections. Hun Sen claimed that this move would compel potential officeholders to demonstrate their civic responsibility.

However, critics argue that this amendment aims to hinder opposition to the ruling party by making it difficult to lead an election boycott. Additional changes in the law also serve to discourage election protests.

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