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July 26, 2023
Luke Hunter
VOA Khmer
PHNOM PENH – Prime Minister Hun Sen and his long-ruling Cambodian People’s Party succeeded as expected, winning 120 of 125 seats in Sunday’s election that is expected to hand over power from father to son at the end of next month. election.
This is what the U.S. State Department describes as the expected outcome of the national election. “Unfree and unfair” This follows the disenfranchisement of the main opposition Candlelight Party and a crackdown on independent media and opposition to the dictator.
The State Department also said the United States was taking steps to restrict visas. “On individuals who undermine democracy” And “suspend the implementation of some foreign aid projects.” Other countries, including Australia and the European Union, also criticized the electoral process.
Sources said Hun Sen’s eldest son Hun Manet will be sworn in as prime minister on August 29 next year, when the National Assembly, set to be 70 years old, ended doubts about when Hun Sen would convene. He will step down.
Hun Sen told the TV station Phoenix Television China’s recent: “I believe Manet has greater potential than me. I am the biggest sacrifice. “Now I have all the power, but in a month I won’t have the power to sign like I do today. “។
The royalist FUNCINPEC party was restored to power and helped end the country’s one-party state, but it has little influence with only five seats in the National Assembly, while 16 other smaller parties get perhaps 1% of all votes.
gentlemen. Carl Thayer Professor retires at university New South Wales Said in Australia: “Since the 1998 election, there has only been an overthrow of the opposition and then maintaining the status quo,” he said, but the pressure was high. So this election is just a carbon copy of the last one. I call it the easiest thing to do. “។
gentlemen. Thayer He said despite his overseas study experience, life in Cambodia and strained relations with the West and the United States were not expected to improve after Hun Manet, 45, a graduate of the city’s U.S. Military Academy, took power. pastry and holds a PhD from the University of Bristol, UK.
Hun Sen is expected to remain a key figure in Cambodian politics and continue to exert influence through senior members of the Politburo and as chairman of the Cambodian People’s Party.
Mr Hun Sen also said he wanted to see his grandson become prime minister by 2030.
Related news: Mr. Hun Sen: Mr. Manai can become prime minister after the election
Senior cabinet ministers are also expected to hand over power to their sons, ensuring that Cambodia’s caste politics, ruling aristocracy, business and close ties between Phnom Penh and Beijing remain unresolved.
Thayer said: “If Hun Sen supports China 90%, then Hun Manet may support 85%”។
gentlemen. Bradley Murger Senior Researcher, Khmer Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP) support your statement Thayer . gentlemen. marrow Says nothing will change under Hun Manet, now a four-star general and army chief.
gentlemen. Bradley Moog Tell Voice of America That: “Hun Mane will become prime minister in the coming weeks and there will be a generational and leadership change. Governance in some ministries is expected to be positive.”។
“At the same time, the challenges and concerns of various civil society actors have given them no reason to expect changes ‘under current circumstances’.
It also means China is building a naval base in the South China Sea and prisons for political activists, including former opposition leader Kem Sokha, union leader Chinsitaw and Cambodian-American lawyer Cheng Thiri. .
The United States called for their release, and on July 13, the United Nations Working Group against Arbitrary Detention of Chet found Seng Theary guilty of treason for posting on Facebook 2 and sentenced him to six years in prison. “Arbitrary detention in violation of international law”។
gentlemen. Thayer statement: “There are Americans being illegally detained in Russia and North Korea as U.S. soldiers cross the border, and that’s the case now in Cambodia. This is not an easy process for Cambodia. “Now is not the time to illegally detain Americans. “។
Election Day passed quietly due to the lack of participation from the Candlelight Party. A 29-year-old writer in Phnom Penh said: “It’s not as exciting as it was ten years ago, when we had an opposition party campaigning and a lot of people turned out»។
He added: “Whether it’s a new prime minister or an old prime minister, it doesn’t matter.”។
A 27-year-old shop assistant said: “There’s no problem at my polling place,” he said. I think Hun Manet has an urgent task, which is to pass on leadership to the next generation, and that may not be an easy position to fill, but I believe he can do it. This can take a long time to do. “។
As the government fears that the opposition may spark boycotts and protests by invalidating ballots, the police and 100,000 security personnel deployed across the country have stepped up security.
As of Monday morning, July 24, the National Electoral Commission claimed that there were 590,000 invalid ballots, out of a total of 440,000, in the 2018 elections. The National Electoral Commission (NEC) said that voter turnout had risen to 84.58%, compared to just 83.2% five years ago.
Mrs. Astrid Nolen-Nielsen Senior Lecturer, University Center for East and Southeast Asian Studies Lund Swedish.
Mrs. Nolen Nelson Tell Voice of America Mr Manait, who has sought to remain silent throughout the campaign, will now fight to maintain power.
she says: “I think Cambodia is gradually moving towards elections without competition and rules,” he said, setting a new trajectory for the near future.។
She added: “This election is about changing this generation through popular vote.”៕
Ms. Sarum Srey Nath contributed to this report.
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