ABC Radio Australia
In Cambodia, preliminary results suggest a strong victory to Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party in Sunday's election. But the opposition has accused the ruling party of widespread cheating, with thousands of names removed from voting lists.
Presenter: Liam Cochrane
Speakers: Ket Cheang and Choun Sinoeun, Cambodian voters; Son Chhay, Opposition MP
COCHRANE: In the ancient Cambodian capital of Oudong, 20 kilometers outside Phnom Penh, voters search for their names on lists at a polling station. More than 8 million people registered to vote at 15 thousand polling stations across the country. Since the UN re-introduced democracy to Cambodia in 1993, Prime Minister Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodian People's Party have dominated politics from the village level to the top posts of power. In many parts of the country, election day went smoothly. But around Phnom Penh and certain other areas, there were complaints that voter lists had been changed and thousands of names left off. Ket Cheang was one of those whose name disappeared from the voting register.
CHEANG: I understand that in this election there is no fairness or justice. There are just threats and, what he calls, 'buying the heart' or bribery.
COCHRANE: Ket Cheang wasn't the only dissatisfied voter. Throughout the morning hundreds streamed into the headquarters of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party to lodge complaints and share their stories with others. Choun Sinoeun tried to vote in a Phnom Penh suburb, but her name was not on the list.
SINOEUN: I came to lobby the newspapers and all representatives to allow me to vote in this national election, that's all I want.
COCHRANE: The missing names weren't the only problem with the election. Human rights groups say at least three opposition candidates were detained the night before voting. The government also took action against a radio station aligned to the opposition, warning it against broadcasting a talk back program involving people who had their names deleted from the voting list. Later when the station started reading from Sam Rainsy's biography, it was shut down by police. Anyone tuning in on polling day, heard this: (radio static). A member of parliament for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, Son Chhay, accused the authorities of cheating.
CHHAY: First we found that there a lot of people, a lot of voters who could not vote this morning, we believe that roughly around 20 percent, at least 20 percent, of the voters in Phnom Penh.
COCHRANE: The people who have been left off the list or haven't been able to vote today do you think it's a systematic attempt to stop Sam Rainsy Party or opposition voters?
CHHAY: Absolutely. The majority voted last year, Last year we had a commune election, they were all able to vote last year, why this year their names have been deleted this year, this is the big big question.
COCHRANE: The Cambodian People's Party, or CPP, has benefited from strong economic growth and has been further boosted by a border dispute with Thailand over the ownership of a temple in the north. The resulting wave of nationalism has seen some voters switching sides to the party that has total control over the military and police. Prime Minister Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge fighter who was put in power by the Vietnamese in the 80s, has built a reputation as the 'Strongman of Cambodia'. His name is linked to schools and road building projects, so many people see him as being personally responsible for Cambodia's much-needed development. A poll showed that more than 77 per cent of people think the government is going in the right direction under Hun Sen's government, and early election results appear to reflect that opinion. Even though they only need just over half the seats in parliament, the CPP were aiming to win two thirds and stamp their authority of the next five years.
Liam Cochrane for Radio Australia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Presenter: Liam Cochrane
Speakers: Ket Cheang and Choun Sinoeun, Cambodian voters; Son Chhay, Opposition MP
COCHRANE: In the ancient Cambodian capital of Oudong, 20 kilometers outside Phnom Penh, voters search for their names on lists at a polling station. More than 8 million people registered to vote at 15 thousand polling stations across the country. Since the UN re-introduced democracy to Cambodia in 1993, Prime Minister Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodian People's Party have dominated politics from the village level to the top posts of power. In many parts of the country, election day went smoothly. But around Phnom Penh and certain other areas, there were complaints that voter lists had been changed and thousands of names left off. Ket Cheang was one of those whose name disappeared from the voting register.
CHEANG: I understand that in this election there is no fairness or justice. There are just threats and, what he calls, 'buying the heart' or bribery.
COCHRANE: Ket Cheang wasn't the only dissatisfied voter. Throughout the morning hundreds streamed into the headquarters of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party to lodge complaints and share their stories with others. Choun Sinoeun tried to vote in a Phnom Penh suburb, but her name was not on the list.
SINOEUN: I came to lobby the newspapers and all representatives to allow me to vote in this national election, that's all I want.
COCHRANE: The missing names weren't the only problem with the election. Human rights groups say at least three opposition candidates were detained the night before voting. The government also took action against a radio station aligned to the opposition, warning it against broadcasting a talk back program involving people who had their names deleted from the voting list. Later when the station started reading from Sam Rainsy's biography, it was shut down by police. Anyone tuning in on polling day, heard this: (radio static). A member of parliament for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, Son Chhay, accused the authorities of cheating.
CHHAY: First we found that there a lot of people, a lot of voters who could not vote this morning, we believe that roughly around 20 percent, at least 20 percent, of the voters in Phnom Penh.
COCHRANE: The people who have been left off the list or haven't been able to vote today do you think it's a systematic attempt to stop Sam Rainsy Party or opposition voters?
CHHAY: Absolutely. The majority voted last year, Last year we had a commune election, they were all able to vote last year, why this year their names have been deleted this year, this is the big big question.
COCHRANE: The Cambodian People's Party, or CPP, has benefited from strong economic growth and has been further boosted by a border dispute with Thailand over the ownership of a temple in the north. The resulting wave of nationalism has seen some voters switching sides to the party that has total control over the military and police. Prime Minister Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge fighter who was put in power by the Vietnamese in the 80s, has built a reputation as the 'Strongman of Cambodia'. His name is linked to schools and road building projects, so many people see him as being personally responsible for Cambodia's much-needed development. A poll showed that more than 77 per cent of people think the government is going in the right direction under Hun Sen's government, and early election results appear to reflect that opinion. Even though they only need just over half the seats in parliament, the CPP were aiming to win two thirds and stamp their authority of the next five years.
Liam Cochrane for Radio Australia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
