"Cambodian opposition makes gains in elections" Associated Press, July 29, 2013
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia’s opposition made impressive gains in Sunday’s general election, though the ruling party won a victory that will extend the mandate of longtime Prime Minister Hun Sen. The results, if confirmed, lend support to opposition contentions that the vote could usher in opportunities for greater democracy.
Khieu Kanharith, a spokesman for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, said on his Facebook page that his party won 68 of the 123 National Assembly seats. He said the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party won 55 seats. The opposition party was reserving its projections of the size of its gains pending the release of more figures. But even the 55 seats conceded by the ruling party represented an upsurge in fortune for the party, which had predicted extensive vote-rigging.
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And they are still not happy?
"Cambodia opposition challenges poll result; Action could lead to more instability" by Sopheng Cheang | Associated Press, July 30, 2013
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia’s opposition leader on Monday rejected the results of a weekend election showing a win for the longtime ruling party, raising fears of post-poll instability and setting the stage for a new showdown with Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The challenge by opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who returned from exile last week to campaign for his Cambodia National Rescue Party, comes despite his party’s relative success in Sunday’s polling, in which the opposition made its biggest gains in years....
Rainsy — who had earlier vowed mass protests if the voters’ will was denied — called for an independent investigation into allegations that as many as a million people may have been deprived of their right to vote, among other irregularities....
The rejection of the results raised the specter that Cambodia might return to a previous pattern of postelection instability that has several times in the past led to political gridlock and violence.
If the opposition party boycotts the assembly, it may be impossible for Hun Sen to legally form a government.
Rainsy did not specifically threaten a boycott, but election experts pointed out that the constitution says a quorum of 120 assembly members is needed to open a parliamentary session, raising the possibility that an opposition boycott could leave the country without a fully functioning government.
Cambodia faced a similar situation most recently after its 2003 election, when Hun Sen’s party failed to win enough seats to legally form a government on its own.
The deadlock was broken only after 11 months and violence in the streets.
But Hun Sen faced a divided opposition then, while his opponents this time are united.
Other polls in recent decades have been followed by confrontations and violence.
After his party ran second in UN-sponsored elections of 1993, Hun Sen insisted on being named co-prime minister. He then ousted his partner in government four years later in a bloody coup.
Hun Sen must not be an USraeli favorite. Egyptian generals obviously are.
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"Rival parties back election inquiry
PHNOM PENH — The two rival parties claiming victory in Cambodia’s general election reached a deal Saturday with the National Election Committee to investigate polling irregularities, a move that may pave the way to ending the country’s political deadlock (AP)."
"Cambodia postpones results of vote" by Sopheng Cheang | Associated Press, August 10, 2013
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia’s state election body said Friday that it will postpone its announcement of final results from last month’s general election, a move that could ease fears of violence on opposition protests.
The National Election Committee made the announcement after the government admitted moving armored vehicles and troops to the capital, Phnom Penh, to keep order if a mass protest by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party spins out of control.
The opposition has challenged the ruling Cambodian People’s Party’s claim of winning a July 28 election, saying there were electoral irregularities. It has said it will reject the results unless there is an independent inquiry.
The NEC had planned to release results Saturday, but said it will delay an announcement because its own investigation of irregularities has not been completed.
There were other signs Friday of a move toward compromise, as the NEC said it is willing to consider a special commission to investigate election complaints, and the two contending parties agreed in principle to accept such a body.
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Also see: Slow Saturday Special: Cambodia Makes Holocaust Denial a Crime
UPDATE:
"Group decries Cambodia land deal" Associated Press, June 14, 2013
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — An international human rights group charged on Thursday that a massive land redistribution program spearheaded by Cambodia’s strongman prime minister is unfair, open to corruption, and politically motivated.
New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report that the program, which began a year ago, was designed to be closely identified with Prime Minister Hun Sen ahead of national elections next month, with extensive coverage in state media but no oversight.
The report urged Cambodia’s aid donors — who provide a major portion of the country’s budget — ‘‘to insist that the program be reformed into a professional and apolitical process, or canceled.’’
Tith Sothea, a government spokesman, described the report as ‘‘baseless’’ and ‘‘garbage’’ and accused Human Rights Watch Asia director Brad Adams of ‘‘never speaking positively about Cambodia.’’
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