Friday, August 01, 2008

Authoritarian Regime Won: Opposition

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
31 July 2008


After an apparent landslide victory for the ruling Cambodian People's Party, long-running Prime Minister Hun Sen will have another term in office, an "impact to national prestige," opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Wednesday.

"The CPP has held power for 29 or 30 years," he said, comparing it to authoritarian regimes around the world.

CPP lawmaker Chiem Yeap discounted the remarks, saying the election had the support of international observers and was smoother than elections past.

"How can [the government] be authoritarian, as we have the National Assembly, government, Senate, people as voters and other institutions," he said. "Our leaders need face too. We will not give hopelessness to people who voted for us.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

An alternative to your title, "Authoritarian Regime Won: Opposition" is "the week opposition lost as expected".

OOOO

Anonymous said...

Very true! A man who bring his weapons to the voting booth instead of a pen will succeed in his favor.

Anonymous said...

Why getting upset with the result of the recent election in Cambodia?

What you see is not what you get! Politics are dirty; they're not clean.