By SETH MYDANS
The New York Times
CHBAR MORN, Cambodia — Prime Minister Hun Sen appeared headed for an expected election victory on Sunday after what experts said was the least violent political campaign in Cambodia’s recent history.
His overpowering control of the country’s political machinery has been buoyed by economic growth and a sense of stability, as well as by a surge of patriotism as Cambodia faces off against Thailand for sovereignty over a temple on their border.
“Although the counting is not yet over, preliminary results show that the C.P.P. is leading, and we expect to win the election,” said Khieu Kanharith, the spokesman for the governing party, the Cambodian People’s Party. He said the party was likely to increase its hold on Parliament, with more than 80 of the 123 seats.
Official results will be announced later in the week.
A victory for the governing party would extend for five more years the 23-year tenure of Mr. Hun Sen who, at the age of 57, is already one of Asia’s longest-serving leaders.
The democratic election, the country’s fourth since 1993, had a practiced feel, with lines of voters trooping through polling places around the country to slip their ballots into big metal boxes.
At the little schoolhouse in this village surrounded by green rice fields and sugar palms, voters filled the courtyard as soon as the polls opened at 7 a.m., emerging with black ink on their fingertips to show that they had voted.
“I voted for the party I like, but I don’t want to say which one,” said May Buntha, a barber, who charges 50 cents for a haircut in his open-fronted shack by a dirt path through the rice fields here, 45 miles southwest of Phnom Penh, the capital.
“If you look at it closely, life is much better than before,” he said, listing the improvements the government had brought: roads, wells, irrigation, schools and clinics.
“I’ve just bought a new motorcycle, better than the one I had before,” he said.
At a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, monks in bright orange robes lined up to vote among the local residents.
Their abbot, Men Chan Punleu, said the monks were free to vote their consciences. But, he said: “In Cambodia, children follow their parents. If their parents take good care of them, if they make sure they have food and shelter, the children are grateful.”
The casualty in this stable, predictable process is a vibrant, competitive democracy. Mr. Hun Sen’s opponents say they are betting on a rising young generation without memories of past hardships who might push for change in the next election, in five years.
“This election has been much quieter than in the past,” said Ly Rattanak, 26, a junior government official, after casting his vote. “There’s less tension. Things are less challenging, and I love challenges. It looks O.K. It looks calm.
“But it’s not really fair. It’s a one-man show. I believe in having a stronger opposition to challenge the ruling party and shape the way the ruling party performs.”
Criticism of the campaign from the watchdog group Human Rights Watch amounted to an outline of Mr. Hun Sen’s political style: “the near-monopoly on broadcast media for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (C.P.P.); bias within the electoral apparatus; and harassment, intimidation, and coerced defections of opposition party members.”
Mr. Hun Sen’s chief opponent in the 11-party field, Sam Rainsy, claimed that 200,000 registered voters had been left off the electoral lists in Phnom Penh, where he enjoys some of his strongest support.
“Scrap the election and do it again,” he said, asserting that Mr. Hun Sen’s party is “full of tricks.”
More than 8 million of Cambodia’s 14 million people were eligible to vote. Mr. Hun Sen’s party, which now holds 73 seats, needs only a simple majority to form a government on its own.
Before the passage of a constitutional amendment, a two-thirds majority was needed, and Mr. Hun Sen, who describes himself as a strongman, was nevertheless forced to bargain with other parties to form a government.
On the wall outside the schoolhouse in Chbar Morn, a poster urged voters to resist threats, intimidation and vote buying. A series of illustrations portrayed familiar scenes, each marked out with a large red X.
In the first illustration, a man with a gun addresses villagers, saying, “Everyone has to vote for one party, otherwise there will be problems.” The villagers respond, “Yes, sir.”
In the second, a smiling woman talks to a group of villagers. “Please take this money to help you out in your daily lives,” she says. “But please don’t forget to vote for my party.”
The villagers respond, “Yes, thank you, we won’t forget.”
In the third, a tough-looking man tells the villagers: “Please remember, when election day comes, I’ll know whom you vote for. Think about it.” In one voice, the villagers respond, “Yes, yes, yes, yes.”
There is little doubt that threats, vote buying and intimidation were widespread throughout the country, whether to a greater or lesser extent than before.
But whatever methods were used, legal or illegal, Mr. Hun Sen summarized the situation neatly earlier this year.
“I wish to state it very clearly this way,” he said. “No one can defeat Hun Sen.”
His overpowering control of the country’s political machinery has been buoyed by economic growth and a sense of stability, as well as by a surge of patriotism as Cambodia faces off against Thailand for sovereignty over a temple on their border.
“Although the counting is not yet over, preliminary results show that the C.P.P. is leading, and we expect to win the election,” said Khieu Kanharith, the spokesman for the governing party, the Cambodian People’s Party. He said the party was likely to increase its hold on Parliament, with more than 80 of the 123 seats.
Official results will be announced later in the week.
A victory for the governing party would extend for five more years the 23-year tenure of Mr. Hun Sen who, at the age of 57, is already one of Asia’s longest-serving leaders.
The democratic election, the country’s fourth since 1993, had a practiced feel, with lines of voters trooping through polling places around the country to slip their ballots into big metal boxes.
At the little schoolhouse in this village surrounded by green rice fields and sugar palms, voters filled the courtyard as soon as the polls opened at 7 a.m., emerging with black ink on their fingertips to show that they had voted.
“I voted for the party I like, but I don’t want to say which one,” said May Buntha, a barber, who charges 50 cents for a haircut in his open-fronted shack by a dirt path through the rice fields here, 45 miles southwest of Phnom Penh, the capital.
“If you look at it closely, life is much better than before,” he said, listing the improvements the government had brought: roads, wells, irrigation, schools and clinics.
“I’ve just bought a new motorcycle, better than the one I had before,” he said.
At a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, monks in bright orange robes lined up to vote among the local residents.
Their abbot, Men Chan Punleu, said the monks were free to vote their consciences. But, he said: “In Cambodia, children follow their parents. If their parents take good care of them, if they make sure they have food and shelter, the children are grateful.”
The casualty in this stable, predictable process is a vibrant, competitive democracy. Mr. Hun Sen’s opponents say they are betting on a rising young generation without memories of past hardships who might push for change in the next election, in five years.
“This election has been much quieter than in the past,” said Ly Rattanak, 26, a junior government official, after casting his vote. “There’s less tension. Things are less challenging, and I love challenges. It looks O.K. It looks calm.
“But it’s not really fair. It’s a one-man show. I believe in having a stronger opposition to challenge the ruling party and shape the way the ruling party performs.”
Criticism of the campaign from the watchdog group Human Rights Watch amounted to an outline of Mr. Hun Sen’s political style: “the near-monopoly on broadcast media for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (C.P.P.); bias within the electoral apparatus; and harassment, intimidation, and coerced defections of opposition party members.”
Mr. Hun Sen’s chief opponent in the 11-party field, Sam Rainsy, claimed that 200,000 registered voters had been left off the electoral lists in Phnom Penh, where he enjoys some of his strongest support.
“Scrap the election and do it again,” he said, asserting that Mr. Hun Sen’s party is “full of tricks.”
More than 8 million of Cambodia’s 14 million people were eligible to vote. Mr. Hun Sen’s party, which now holds 73 seats, needs only a simple majority to form a government on its own.
Before the passage of a constitutional amendment, a two-thirds majority was needed, and Mr. Hun Sen, who describes himself as a strongman, was nevertheless forced to bargain with other parties to form a government.
On the wall outside the schoolhouse in Chbar Morn, a poster urged voters to resist threats, intimidation and vote buying. A series of illustrations portrayed familiar scenes, each marked out with a large red X.
In the first illustration, a man with a gun addresses villagers, saying, “Everyone has to vote for one party, otherwise there will be problems.” The villagers respond, “Yes, sir.”
In the second, a smiling woman talks to a group of villagers. “Please take this money to help you out in your daily lives,” she says. “But please don’t forget to vote for my party.”
The villagers respond, “Yes, thank you, we won’t forget.”
In the third, a tough-looking man tells the villagers: “Please remember, when election day comes, I’ll know whom you vote for. Think about it.” In one voice, the villagers respond, “Yes, yes, yes, yes.”
There is little doubt that threats, vote buying and intimidation were widespread throughout the country, whether to a greater or lesser extent than before.
But whatever methods were used, legal or illegal, Mr. Hun Sen summarized the situation neatly earlier this year.
“I wish to state it very clearly this way,” he said. “No one can defeat Hun Sen.”
9 comments:
In politics, doing bad gets good. Doing good loses.
the vision we are deeply closed is mean the name of our khmer land.
Will it be a "BLESS" or "CURSE" for Cambodia? The answer will be drawn from all of these events:
1. The negotiation today with Thailand. See RGC will give any concession or sign any supplemental treaty that cede land to Thai or provide any invisible interest under the table to Thai for Prah Vihear matter.
2. The long-awaited anti-corruption law and the promise to fight with the worldwide negative images-as state with strong impunity, partisan and very partial wild-like system of the government and the effectiveness and political will to implement the imigration law-will occur or not?Speed like turtoise speed????? Can this newly elected government fufill their promises??????
May God Blesses Cambodia
CPP wins!!!! Muahahaha!!!!
The CPP wins because the CPP can promote what it has done, among other factors.
And the most important thing, for a healthy democracy and prosperity of the country, there should be a strong and unified opposition party. With current scatterred opposition, the CPP will win more seats in 2013 and Cambodia will become a virtual monopoly politics.
It is time for Rannaridh Party, Human Rights'Party, Funcinpec, and Sam Rainsy Party to stop cursing each other.
Kong Moeung
The khmer ppl have spoken they want HUN SEN...=D
nothing the khmer overseas can do but watch and pay off there houses
Hope SAMDECH HUN SEN leads us to vicory agian
JAI YOO HUN
KHMER CANADA
Who told you to call that monkey Samdech? You are so cheap!
Okay, the CPP has won fair and square, regardless of little irregularity.
It's time to put the election behind us and go to work for the country. Go, go, go, ... . Don't look back! Lot of works remain to be done.
Why Mr. Bush win the election for the section term? and Why the CPP win again?
Please think!!!
It's time to build strong Foundation of our Nation,Please let's the light shine every corner of our land.Let's show the World that the Kingdom of Cambodia has magic.
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