Cambodian PM Hun Sen set to win election by landslide, with opposition suppressed
PBS NewsHourJul 31, 2023
The Facts
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has declared a "landslide" victory in Sunday's general election, which critics denounced as the most unfree and unfair the country has seen in decades.
He posted on his Telegram channel unofficial results estimating the CPP secured 120 seats and the royalist FUNCINPEC party won five. The CPP believes the party captured 78-80% of the total vote.
The Spin
Narrative A
Turnout in the most recent Cambodian election was overwhelming, which is hardly a show of skepticism towards the Cambodian democratic process or the ruling government. Overseas opposition groups did everything in their power to disrupt the vote to no avail. Despite the absence of Western observers, NGOs and other governments observed the vote and gave their endorsement to the process in Cambodia, showing that the voice of the people will be heard.
Narrative B
This election was democratic in name only, as widespread harassment and obstruction of opposition figures all but assured that Hun Sen would secure victory. Cambodia is the Southeast Asian country closest to China, and its neighbors have long voiced concerns of its increasingly flawed democracy. The vote was a carefully crafted sham, designed to give the Beijing-backed CPP a veneer of respectability.
