South East Asia
Cambodia votes: long-term ruler Hun Sen unrivaled
Phnom Penh residents look at a registration list before voting at a polling station. photo
© Heng Sinith/AP
Cambodia is effectively a one-party state: Hun Sen has been in government for almost four decades. Many of his opponents are in prison. Human rights activists express concern.
A new parliament will be elected in Cambodia on Sunday. It is considered certain that Prime Minister Hun Sen secured power for another five years with his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). The 70-year-old has been in government in the Southeast Asian country for almost four decades due to massive repression.
This makes Hun Sen one of the longest-serving heads of government in the world. In fact, the kingdom is a one-party state. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch criticized that the election bore “hardly any resemblance to a genuine democratic process”.
As early as May, the constitutional court had banned the opposition Candlelight Party from voting because of an alleged technical detail in the registration process. It was the only remaining opposition party with a chance of gaining a larger share of the vote.
Scores of party members were arrested. Many activists and trade unionists are also in prison. A total of almost ten million people are entitled to vote. Polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (2 a.m. to 10 a.m. CEST). Preliminary results should be available by Monday at the latest.