A relaxed Prime Minister Hun Sen raises an ink-stained figure after voting Sunday in general elections that are widely expected to see his Cambodian People's Party take total control of government. (Photo: Heng Chivoan)Sunday, 27 July 2008
Written by Post Staff
The Phnom Penh Post
Prime Minister Hun Sen is expected to extend his rule as millions of Cambodians go to the polls Sunday in general elections that have been largely overshadowed by the Kingdom's escalating border dispute with Thailand at Preah Vihear.
The military buildup on the border over disputed territory around the temple has bought Cambodia and Thailand to its worst diplomatic crisis since rioters looted and burned the Thai embassy in 2003.
While opposition political parties have accused the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of trying to mine the standoff for votes, many at polling stations in Phnom Penh said the situation highlighted the need for Cambodia's leaders to protect the country's sovereignty.
"I'm voting for a different reason this time – my choice is for a government that can protect Preah Vihear temple," said 76 year-old Hok Hour in Phnom Penh's Chamkarmon district.
"Whoever can make the Thai troops withdraw from our land, we will choose him," he added.
Another voter, Ky Seak Tang, also said that Preah Vihear was the main motivation for her going to the polls. "I vote for a government that can forever protect Preah Vihear," she said.
Despite a surge of nationalism over the temple row, however, voter turnout in several key polling places appeared lower than normal, while complaints have begun to emerge that thousands of names have been mysteriously eliminated from voter registration lists.
In Phnom Penh's Mohosrop polling station about 50 percent of the names were erased from the voter lists, said Bun Rado, who name was also missing.
"We all voted in the 2007 [commune elections] but we turned up today and our names were not on the list. Many people are angry and are driving from station to station to try and find their names," he told the Post.
Election monitors acknowledged that there had been problems with voter rolls, but pointed towards bureaucratic mix-ups rather than political conspiracies as the reason for people not appearing on registration lists.
"As expected, there has been a problem of people not having the right information and thus not being able to vote," said one monitor from the Cambodian election watchdog Comfrel.
The monitor added that hundreds of names appeared to be missing from some lists.
"People should not blame themselves for this – it is not the voter's responsibility to make sure 100 percent that they can vote. It is fair enough to assume that if you voted in the previous commune election, that your name should be on the list," the monitor said.
Another Comfrel monitor, Ma Dol, said the missing names could hurt voter confidence in the election, adding: "It is difficult for them to use their right to choose a leader."
The election, the fourth since Cambodia's UN-brokered vote in 1993, is expected to see Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) – buoyed by a strong economy and surging national sentiment – win total control of government after more than a decade of sharing power under various coalition agreements.
One CPP official who did not want to be named said the ruling party wants to increase its number of positions in the 123-seat parliament from 73 to 93. Ten other parties are contesting the elections.
But leaders with two of Cambodia's main opposition parties have already cried foul, saying the CPP was manipulating the voter lists to ensure that only its supporters went to the polls.
"Several thousands of people have lost their names from the lists," Sam Rainsy told a crowd of supporters at his party headquarters in Phnom Penh.
"The election is only held to support the CPP ... the CPP and the commune chiefs have conspired together," he added.
Kem Sokha, whose Human Rights Party is one of the newest additions to Cambodia's political arena, also complained about incomplete voter rolls, saying that turnout had been unusually low.
"The National Election Committee says there are more than eight million voters but some of those people are listed two or three times each ... there are fewer voters turning out," he said.
Despite problems over voter lists, election observers say there has been little of the violence or intimidation that has marred past polls, however they admit that there are not enough monitors to cover every voting booth.
"If you want to know about manipulations, I have not seen anything," said one European Union election monitor who did not want to be named.
"But even though we are right here you cannot guarantee that there will be no manipulations.... You can always manipulate something if you want. We are not so organized that we can see every polling station in the whole of Cambodia."
International rights groups maintain that the CPP has waged an intimidation campaign ahead of the polls that has deterred many voters from opposing it. On the night before the vote an SRP radio station was closed, while Sam Rainsy has claimed that several party members have been arrested.
"At the polling station where I am, security is good," he told voters in Kampong Cham province. "The places where there are observers are working fine. But anywhere without an international observer, we are worried about."
Official figures are expected later in the week.
The military buildup on the border over disputed territory around the temple has bought Cambodia and Thailand to its worst diplomatic crisis since rioters looted and burned the Thai embassy in 2003.
While opposition political parties have accused the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of trying to mine the standoff for votes, many at polling stations in Phnom Penh said the situation highlighted the need for Cambodia's leaders to protect the country's sovereignty.
"I'm voting for a different reason this time – my choice is for a government that can protect Preah Vihear temple," said 76 year-old Hok Hour in Phnom Penh's Chamkarmon district.
"Whoever can make the Thai troops withdraw from our land, we will choose him," he added.
Another voter, Ky Seak Tang, also said that Preah Vihear was the main motivation for her going to the polls. "I vote for a government that can forever protect Preah Vihear," she said.
Despite a surge of nationalism over the temple row, however, voter turnout in several key polling places appeared lower than normal, while complaints have begun to emerge that thousands of names have been mysteriously eliminated from voter registration lists.
In Phnom Penh's Mohosrop polling station about 50 percent of the names were erased from the voter lists, said Bun Rado, who name was also missing.
"We all voted in the 2007 [commune elections] but we turned up today and our names were not on the list. Many people are angry and are driving from station to station to try and find their names," he told the Post.
Election monitors acknowledged that there had been problems with voter rolls, but pointed towards bureaucratic mix-ups rather than political conspiracies as the reason for people not appearing on registration lists.
"As expected, there has been a problem of people not having the right information and thus not being able to vote," said one monitor from the Cambodian election watchdog Comfrel.
The monitor added that hundreds of names appeared to be missing from some lists.
"People should not blame themselves for this – it is not the voter's responsibility to make sure 100 percent that they can vote. It is fair enough to assume that if you voted in the previous commune election, that your name should be on the list," the monitor said.
Another Comfrel monitor, Ma Dol, said the missing names could hurt voter confidence in the election, adding: "It is difficult for them to use their right to choose a leader."
The election, the fourth since Cambodia's UN-brokered vote in 1993, is expected to see Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) – buoyed by a strong economy and surging national sentiment – win total control of government after more than a decade of sharing power under various coalition agreements.
One CPP official who did not want to be named said the ruling party wants to increase its number of positions in the 123-seat parliament from 73 to 93. Ten other parties are contesting the elections.
But leaders with two of Cambodia's main opposition parties have already cried foul, saying the CPP was manipulating the voter lists to ensure that only its supporters went to the polls.
"Several thousands of people have lost their names from the lists," Sam Rainsy told a crowd of supporters at his party headquarters in Phnom Penh.
"The election is only held to support the CPP ... the CPP and the commune chiefs have conspired together," he added.
Kem Sokha, whose Human Rights Party is one of the newest additions to Cambodia's political arena, also complained about incomplete voter rolls, saying that turnout had been unusually low.
"The National Election Committee says there are more than eight million voters but some of those people are listed two or three times each ... there are fewer voters turning out," he said.
Despite problems over voter lists, election observers say there has been little of the violence or intimidation that has marred past polls, however they admit that there are not enough monitors to cover every voting booth.
"If you want to know about manipulations, I have not seen anything," said one European Union election monitor who did not want to be named.
"But even though we are right here you cannot guarantee that there will be no manipulations.... You can always manipulate something if you want. We are not so organized that we can see every polling station in the whole of Cambodia."
International rights groups maintain that the CPP has waged an intimidation campaign ahead of the polls that has deterred many voters from opposing it. On the night before the vote an SRP radio station was closed, while Sam Rainsy has claimed that several party members have been arrested.
"At the polling station where I am, security is good," he told voters in Kampong Cham province. "The places where there are observers are working fine. But anywhere without an international observer, we are worried about."
Official figures are expected later in the week.
8 comments:
50% names were erased? Here you see the face of the only evil who ordered
those names to be erased from the voting list. He's the son of the devil.
This devil is only cruel, and cause suffering upon his people.
He don't dare lip a word his neighbor or his master. He only bad mouth, kill and cheats his people.
PM Hun Sen wins!!! Muahahaha!!!
Hun sen win so we suffer another 5 years.
Hun Maneth and Hilton hotel will build thousands of villas along the beach of Kompomgsom coast in the next two or three year; the range of prices are from $ 99,999 to $399,999 for each villa. Under Hun Sen's rule, how much tax will be collected for the country?
don't worry he will die by lung cancer in the next 2 year.
MAUHAHA HAHAHA
This is unacceptable other parties must complaint to the vote board.
They should count all the votes in the presence of the international observers.
Then whoever that have its names removed must vote and we'll see who is the real winner.
Look at his finger there is blood and that is mr. kim sambo blood. This hun sen guy has been a khmer killer and murder for a long time.
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