Cambodian election: what chance does the opposition have?

Cambodia’s election is widely seen as illegitimate due to the absence of the country’s biggest opposition party, but there are still 19 parties standing up to Hun Sen – even if they are small, with even slimmer hopes

Reading Time:4 minutes

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen greets supporters in Phnom Penh. Photo: AP

Published: 4:00pm, 28 Jul 2018Updated: 4:29pm, 28 Jul 2018

“It will be difficult to win this month,” lamented Sarath, a member of the Grassroots Democratic Party, one of Cambodia’s 19 minor political parties that will compete in a general election on Sunday against Hun Sen’s long-ruling Cambodian People’s Party. “But, maybe in 2023, we have a chance,” he added, walking by a motorcade during a party rally in Phnom Penh this month.

His scepticism is well justified. The CPP, which has been in power since 1979, is widely expected to secure yet another electoral victory this weekend.

Despite the participation of the other political parties, the United Nations and several foreign governments have already branded the election “illegitimate” because the country’s main opposition, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), will not be taking part.

Prince Norodom Ranariddh and his wife Ouk Phalla were involved in a head-on collision in the south west of Cambodia last month. A taxi reportedly hit the vehicle that the pair was travelling in, killing Ouk Phalla and seriously injuring Prince Norodom. Both were to stand in next months Cambodian elections for the opposition Funcinpec party. Photo: EPA

Having almost won the last general election in 2013, the CNRP was accused last year of trying to overthrow the government with the support of the United States. Its president, Kem Sokha, was arrested in September on treason charges and remains in pretrial detention, while the party itself was formally dissolved by the Supreme Court in November.

A Mahathir-like figure, a car crash and Cambodia's election

CNRP leaders, many of whom are now in exile, have called on voters to boycott the election as part of a so-called Clean Finger Campaign – a reference to the ink used to mark a voter’s finger on ballots. But the smaller parties need people to vote on the day, and the CNRP’s strategy may only lead to the CPP winning all seats in the National Assembly.