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| Supporters of Cambodia's opposition Sam Rainsy's party take part in a local commune election rally in Phnom Penh, June 1, 2012. |
June 01, 2012
Irwin Loy
Voice of America
PHNOM PENH - Cambodians vote Sunday in elections for their local commune councils. In a country where the prime minister, Hun Sen, maintains a tight grip on power, opposition parties are trying to be realistic about the outcome.
For opposition lawmaker Son Chhay, the local commune elections are all about lowered expectations. He is an official for the Sam Rainsy Party, but he has no grand illusions of victory on Sunday.
"When we talk about winning, it's something that is not going to be easy," Chhay said. "Currently we're only head of 28 communes, out of 1,633. So it's very small. So we're hoping we're going to get at least 10 percent of this. This could be a very good start."
It's a good start, but these are still modest goals for what is Cambodia's largest opposition party. In a country where the ruling Cambodian People's Party, known as the CPP, has maintained a grip on power since the 1990s, opposing the government at the polls has always been a struggle.