The four main non-ruling parties said Sunday's elections were seriously flawed with a number of voting irregularities. (L-R) Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) leader Sam Rainsy, Human Rights Party leader Khem Sokha, member of royalist FUNCINPEC Prince Sisowath Sirirath and member of Norodom Ranariddh Party Muth Chantha hold hands during a news conference, as they reject election results saying it was manipulated by the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CCP) at SRP headquarters in Phnom Penh July 28, 2008. CCP claimed a landslide victory on Monday in an election bestowing another five years in power on ex-Khmer Rouge guerrilla Hun Sen, prime minister for the past 23 years. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
28 July 2008
Representatives from four non-ruling parties gathered at opposition headquarters Monday to reject Sunday's national election as "a sham," after the ruling Cambodian People's Party appeared to have won enough seats to form a single-party government.
Top officials of the Sam Rainsy, Human Rights, Norodom Ranariddh and Funcinpec parties signed a letter calling on "Cambodian public opinion and the international community not to recognize the results of the July 27, 2008, elections, which were manipulated and rigged by the ruling Cambodian People's Party."
There have not been five separate parties elected to the National Assembly since the 1993 Untac elections, and the joining together of four against one is unprecedented.
In 1998, the Sam Rainsy and Funcinpec parties joined together to protest election results in the wake of the 1997 coup.
That three-month crisis of government led to mass demonstrations in the capital and a brutal crackdown by government forces, where scores of demonstrators were disappeared and presumed killed.
In 2003, the government was deadlocked for 11 months, due to an alliance between Funcinpec and SRP that prevented a coalition government.
"We have already strengthened together to deny the results of the election, and also for the voters," opposition leader Sam Rainsy told a large crowd gathered at his headquarters Monday afternoon. "We need to revote across Cambodia."
"We appeal to the EU and the international community to deny the results, because there are so many irregularities during the election," Human Rights Party Presdient Kem Sokha told the same cheering crowd.
The parties "hope in the future will have an alliance together" and have the same goals, he said.
The main point for the alliance would be to send a message to the people "who love justice" to come to work together.
The four parties condemned "illegal and fraudulent practices" in Sunday's polls, including "deletion of countless legitimate voters' names and [an] artificial increase in the CPP voters to cast their ballots for the CPP."
The parties also condemned "the tricks and maneuvers of the National Election Committee, which is only a tool for the CPP to organize a sham election and present a façade of democracy."
"I'm not surprised about this information," NEC Chairman Im Sousdey told reporters Monday. "We always see after the election Cambodian political parties doing the same thing."
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Monday unofficial results now showed the CPP with 90 seats, followed by the Sam Rainsy Party with 26, Human Rights Party with three, Norodom Ranariddh with two, and Funcinpec with two.
Khieu Thai Sarakmony, a 57-year-old from Phnom Penh who joined the crowd at SRP headquarters Monday, said he supported the cooperation of the four parties for the people.
"But it should have been earlier," he said, "before the election."
Top officials of the Sam Rainsy, Human Rights, Norodom Ranariddh and Funcinpec parties signed a letter calling on "Cambodian public opinion and the international community not to recognize the results of the July 27, 2008, elections, which were manipulated and rigged by the ruling Cambodian People's Party."
There have not been five separate parties elected to the National Assembly since the 1993 Untac elections, and the joining together of four against one is unprecedented.
In 1998, the Sam Rainsy and Funcinpec parties joined together to protest election results in the wake of the 1997 coup.
That three-month crisis of government led to mass demonstrations in the capital and a brutal crackdown by government forces, where scores of demonstrators were disappeared and presumed killed.
In 2003, the government was deadlocked for 11 months, due to an alliance between Funcinpec and SRP that prevented a coalition government.
"We have already strengthened together to deny the results of the election, and also for the voters," opposition leader Sam Rainsy told a large crowd gathered at his headquarters Monday afternoon. "We need to revote across Cambodia."
"We appeal to the EU and the international community to deny the results, because there are so many irregularities during the election," Human Rights Party Presdient Kem Sokha told the same cheering crowd.
The parties "hope in the future will have an alliance together" and have the same goals, he said.
The main point for the alliance would be to send a message to the people "who love justice" to come to work together.
The four parties condemned "illegal and fraudulent practices" in Sunday's polls, including "deletion of countless legitimate voters' names and [an] artificial increase in the CPP voters to cast their ballots for the CPP."
The parties also condemned "the tricks and maneuvers of the National Election Committee, which is only a tool for the CPP to organize a sham election and present a façade of democracy."
"I'm not surprised about this information," NEC Chairman Im Sousdey told reporters Monday. "We always see after the election Cambodian political parties doing the same thing."
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Monday unofficial results now showed the CPP with 90 seats, followed by the Sam Rainsy Party with 26, Human Rights Party with three, Norodom Ranariddh with two, and Funcinpec with two.
Khieu Thai Sarakmony, a 57-year-old from Phnom Penh who joined the crowd at SRP headquarters Monday, said he supported the cooperation of the four parties for the people.
"But it should have been earlier," he said, "before the election."
31 comments:
This is unfair why CPP eliminate 200,000 people from the voting list in Pnom Penh?
This is completely wrong.
This is not democracy at all.
This is no freedom for Cambodian people living in Phnom Penh.
I urge all people living in Phnom Penh need to protest.
Need re-vote in Phom Penh!
I am so happy to see these four parties joint holding hands and hands together to protest the unfair and unjust election. The election need to be redo because it should allow all khmer to vote.
The losers eventually set aside their egos to do something for commom interest.
Kuoy Pichet
Stop playing game, you all know that CPP is going to win! and you are keeping playing the fucking game!
Let us keep thinking for other way to free ourself Cambodian, fuck the all!
CPP should not win that much if all the opposition parties have been united. Shame on you :((((
It looks like Sam Rainsy pointing to the rest and says to himself these are the sore losers.
XXXXXXX
you fucking CPP, Even I am not the member of SRP (that i hate Eng .the gambler. Chhay Ieng),
Admit it that you cheat on every level.
From the chief of commune to the NEC.
If others parties cheat, they go to jail or get fined...
Others parties are clean.
Only CPP is devil's party.
Let's have another Khmer Rouge with the CPP. Right now, even at the commune's level, They are khmer rouge.
They sell khmer's soul and pride to YOUNS...
Khmer Canadian
welcome to the era of communism. In fact, our brothers Chinese and Vietnamese are offering a warm welcome to the club. Now, the U.S. is threatened of the new domino effect.
The erosion of democracy is real!
Get over it, Losers!
The democracy is threatened by ONE man show, and the U.S. and the international community must do everything in their power to prevent the democracy in Cambodia from further eroding, so does not fall into communism. Yes, the domino effect is real, and it needs to be protected.
If everything is owned by a dictator, will the four who are not satisfied with the election results get anything from their rejection?
Welcome to a soar losers forum. cry baby, cry...... lay on you comfort bed abroad and dream on.
I understand that all parties tried their best, but underestimated the CPP political manipulation. I witnessed the shaky ground of FUNCIPEC and SRP's unity where ground work of solidarity was not there.
Now having learnt from these experiences, I hope real democratic processes will be upheld.
Please gentlemen! Set aside your differences and binding those common grounds for what cambodians are crying for.Be mindful that CPP new tricks also adopted,because plenty of crooks out there as well.
Praise gentlemen for the best.
Neang SA
If 200,000 is identified. What about the number that wasn't report or identified?
Only known loser will cheat.
Okay, let's say 2 millions were drop out from the list. How do we know that those 2 millions will vote for opposition. Or how does anyone know to select the 2 millions that will vote for opposition and drop them out of the list? How? Can someone help me out?
domino effect A CHKUT CHRUK HOW MANY KHMER YOU WANT TO BE KILLED BY THIS IDEOLOGY OF DEMOCRACY?
how many peole killed by their state of being drun about democracy?
Ist USA A DEOCRACTIS STATE TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD
a pleau
domino effect A CHKUT CHRUK HOW MANY KHMER YOU WANT TO BE KILLED BY THIS IDEOLOGY OF DEMOCRACY?
how many peole killed by their state of being drun about democracy?
Ist USA A DEOCRACTIS STATE TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD
a pleau
haha.. what a loser. you four monkeys heard about the NGOs and people said, request and push your ass to unite before the election or not? now the game is over, dump azz.. dont monkey around. ..
You go, mate!
All these four lost cause they put self-pride before the country and its people. If they all put the people and the country first, the currupted CPP wouldn't have a chance.
They would still have won, really. CPP can't just lose.
Leave all this nonsense complains, and who is gonna believe you all.
Unification of the opposition parties is the best way to defeat Hun Sen.
As long as you all still fighting each other, there is no way people is gonna vot for you.
The commune election early was very clear that CPP would be able to win the majority, but all the opposition parties can do is, fighting and cursing to each other like hell.
Let face the truth, most people in Phnom Penh, and towns can access to the media, but they still dont vot for the opposition parties.
Wakeup and there is nothing late, all you need to do first get all the democracy parties together, find out how to reach all those people's need, and how to talk to them and make them believe that you can run the whole country like CPP can do.
We, know that four of you have never realized about the value of unity, and then you are crying when coffins arrived.
It is meaningless for your shit action as of now. Stop your idiots dreaming to be the leader of the country if you can't unite your groups.
Fuck all of you guys.
Reaj
If you guy can't unite and cooperate to work for common purpose, how can people really put trust in you as leader?
it is really disappointing that you don't work together.
Guys,
If you all can find better words to say, don't. I think every one of you are aching over the CPP winning the election.
If you all think that CPP won the election because CPP miscounting or looting the pool, you all have to find ways to eliminate that.
I just want to introduce you to US way of voting. If you think it is good enough to use in Cambodia, why not bring it in? Stop complaint and just do it!!!!
TOOO LATEE baby. Stop dreaming.
To 3:57
"I urge all people living in Phnom Penh need to protest."
Stay calm baby. Why don't you see what happen in Thailand. Do you want the price of everything to hit a record high.
The opposition leaders need to organize the future demonstration to protest the electoral fraud to show the world community that people's vote have stolen.
Let's assume that 80% of the 20,000 are Sam Rainsy supporters. How many more seats he will gain? 2 maybe. We can't do anything. Your dream will never come true.
Cheyo Ah Hun!!!
Fuck You Ah Khvack!!!
Do Mei Ah Zen!!!
I'm with you Reaj.
I sent money to support Rainsy and when I suggest that Kem Sokha and Rainsy to unite both were so arrogant and so confidence about winning. Now look what happened?
I stopped supporting all of them.
Those people in PP used to vote for Rainsy but they lost hope for not seeing a unity among the small parties, so they voted for Hun Sen.
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