Cambodians vote without real alternatives

On Sunday the 23rd, 9.7 million citizens will go to the polls to elect a National Assembly fully aligned with the prime minister, who has been in power for 38 years. On the Popular Party lists, 22.4% of the candidates are related to each other, while in recent months the repression against the outlawed opposition forces has intensified. Still, the vote could open the transition of power to his eldest son, Hun Manet.

Phnom Penh () – On Sunday, July 23, 9.7 million Cambodians were called to the polls to elect the new 125-member National Assembly. The election is between the candidates of 18 parties aligned with the official directives, united against the “outlawed” opposition and forced into exile or jail. With these premises, the Assembly will be “new” perhaps due to the presence of some lesser-known faces, but it will undoubtedly mean the umpteenth confirmation of a legislative power serving the interests of Prime Minister Hun Sen -in government for 38 years- and its system of power based on intimidation, nepotism and corruption. It is significant that 22.4% of the 125 candidates in Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party are related to each other.

The authoritarian character was confirmed on July 17 with the arrest of four members of the Candlelight Party, accused of proposing to voters that they annul the ballot papers. That same day, a provision was issued prohibiting 17 personalities from the Cambodian National Salvation Party (all in exile) from holding any public office for at least twenty years, including leaders of the opposition political formation and former deputies Sam Rainsy, Mu Sochua, Long Ry, Nuth Romdul, Hou Vann, Kong Saphea, Eng Chhai Eang. The ban was imposed by the Election Commission, headed by a deputy from the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.

Although the result is sung, the electoral round presents two elements of interest. In the first place, it is the second, after five years ago, in which there is no political contender, given the repression that has sent anyone who has shown hostility towards the government to jail, exile or house arrest. and their leader. On the other hand, the formation of the new Parliament could lead to a transition of power from Hun Sen to his eldest son Hun Manet, current commander of the Cambodian army. He is the only one who so far has been singled out by his father to succeed him, although many question his real ability and his determination to continue the paternal line.

On the other hand, the entire management of the former “cadre” of the Khmer Rouge, in power since 1985, has been characterized by despotism and brutality against critics, but also against anyone who sees a limit in its corrupt and inefficient system. primary for the development of the country. Its natural and human resources, in fact, have only benefited those loyal to the head of government and foreign interests, first of all the Chinese, to whom small Cambodia, of 181,035 square kilometers, is already inextricably linked.

The majority of Cambodia’s 17 million people live in poverty, with an average per capita income of less than $1,700 a year, amid vast inequalities and little chance to seek justice. In recent years, aid from non-governmental organizations has also been limited by government interventions on the sources of financing and the use of funds, while the suspicions of the authorities have forced the suspension of many of these activities. Similarly, media outlets that do not support official policies have also been affected, starting with the best-known English-language newspaper, the storied Phnom Penh Post, which was “normalized” after it was acquired by a Malaysian tycoon in 2018. .

The opposition – the first target of Hun Sen’s ax but tenacious and supported by many in the international community – has suffered even more from repressive campaigns that have silenced even the main unions. For years, the main target of intimidation campaigns was the Cambodian National Salvation Party, founded by Sam Rainsy, in exile in France for many years, and banned in 2017. Another opposition leader, Kem Sokha, a long-time activist For a long time and a member of the same party, he was sentenced on March 3 to 27 years of house arrest for “treason” because -according to the prosecution- he had conspired with foreign forces for subversive purposes. The occasion was provided by Sokha’s meeting with the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, who during his visit to Cambodia had also expressed to Hun Sen Washington’s concern about the situation in the country.

The run-up to Sunday’s vote was marked by escalating violence and aggressive rhetoric against the few dissenting voices. In line with what Hun Sen had explicitly indicated on Facebook in January, there were only two options regarding opponents: legal or physical repression. Adding later: “You are like fish in a barrel. I can snap their necks and eat them whenever I want.”

The promise was fulfilled with a wave of attacks that began with the assassination of Sin Khon – a 29-year-old Cambodian Salvation Party activist – last November, followed by threats, arrests and imprisonment without trial against hundreds of people accused of conspire against the government or national security.

Photo: Flickr/Prachatai