CPP claims landslide victory [amid allegation of cheating]

Monday, 28 July 2008
The Mekong Times & AP

The ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) remained publicly coy about its almost certain victory in Sunday’s elections, but celebrations have privately begun.

The CPP has won yesterday’s parliamentary election “with more than 80 [National Assembly] seats,” Information Minister Khieu Kanharith, told The Mekong Times by telephone last night. Though an official result has yet to be released by the National Election Committee (NEC), Khieu Kanharith said that unofficial election results had been calculated by CPP branches across the Kingdom.

The CPP’s figures show the party has added seven seats to its previous 73 National Assembly (NA) seats, giving it a controlling share of the total 123 NA seats.

Polls closed at 3 pm with no reports of violence in a country that has become notorious for election troubles since democracy recommenced in 1993. The opposition did complain of election irregularities.

“There were a lot of problems with voters unable to find their names. We were expecting a landslide victory but now we are going to complain,” a spokesman for the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday said that this year’s parliamentary election was calm compared to previous ballots. Addressing reporters at a polling station in Takhmao, he expressed hope “that the processes of election and ballot counting will be good across the Kingdom.”

But eponymous party leader Sam Rainsy alleged that thousands of people couldn’t find their names on voter lists because village and commune chiefs affiliated with the CPP used “tricks to delete their names.”

“This is an unfair trick used to topple the SRP in the election. We don’t agree [with this act]. We have to protest against [it],” he said of the omission of thousands of people’s names at Wat Sansam Kosal and Dambok Khpos polling stations in Meanchey district’s Beong Tumpon commune.

Sam Rainsy said the SRP had increased its share of the vote. He highlighted the increase in Prey Veng province, where the SRP leads the CPP. Sam Rainsy also appealed to Phnom Penh residents who could not find their names on election day to demonstrate against election irregularities over the next several days.

Lu Lay Sreng, first deputy president of Funcinpec, declined to give details of the extent of Funcinpec’s election support, saying only that: “Funcinpec received a tiny number of votes which is unbelievable.”

You Hockry, secretary general of Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), said he is waiting for clearer information before evaluating the election process. Voters were “suppressed by the CPP,” You Hockry claimed.

Keo Remy, Human Rights Party (HRP) Discipline Committee President, said he dares not evaluate yesterday’s results. He claimed that the HRP, despite being a newcomer to the Cambodian political scene would win seats, although he didn’t specify how many.

The National Election Committee (NEC) told reporters yesterday that two provinces had reported minor problems due to ballot papers drenched in monsoon rains, but overall all was well.

“The biggest complaint was from voters who had not re-registered after the last election ... not being able to find their names on the voting list,” senior NEC representative Tep Nitha said.

The CPP, led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, was always expected by analysts and the party’s own pollsters to win handsomely.

An estimated 8 million voters were registered to vote in the first national elections in five years. The CPP claims 5 million members.

A tense border stand-off with Thailand which has seen troops mobilized did not unduly influence the outcome, although analysts said it may have increased voter turnout.

The lack of impact of the border dispute over an ancient temple and surrounding land is because – despite patriotism running high – Cambodian political parties typically register supporters in advance.

“If you are Khmer, you love your country no matter what party you support, so people are not going to change their vote because of the border dispute,” NEC spokesman Em Sopath said Saturday.

The SRP, Funcinpec, the HRP and the NRP are expected to vie for the remaining seats. Funcinpec currently holds 26 seats, and the SRP 24.

Hun Sen has ruled for 23 years, but is enjoying a new surge in popularity due to Cambodia’s rapid economic growth, which the International Monetary Fund placed at around 10.5 per cent in 2007.

On Saturday, New York-based Human Rights Watch slammed the election campaign, accusing the ruling party of monopolizing media and using intimidation – accusations the CPP countered were “politically motivated, laughable and predictable.”

The NEC released preliminary results in a broadcast on state television later Sunday night.