Cambodia's Hun Sen casts his vote in election questioned by critics on fairness
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen arrived at his polling station in Kandal Province, Cambodia, to cast his vote on Sunday morning along with his wife, First Lady Bun Rany, as the country held a general election deemed by critics as one-sided.
The contest is effectively a one-horse race, with Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP), a political behemoth with a vast war chest, facing no viable opponent after a ruthless, years-long crackdown on its rivals.
Former Khmer Rouge guerrilla Hun Sen, 70, has led Cambodia for 38 years and has brushed off Western concern about the election's credibility, determined to prevent any obstacle in his carefully calibrated transition to anoint his eldest son, Hun Manet, successor.
No timeframe had been given for the handover until Thursday, when Hun Sen signalled his son "could be" prime minister in three or four weeks, depending on "whether Hun Manet will be able to do it or not".
Hun Manet, Cambodia PM's son casts vote in general election
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen’s son, Hun Manet and his wife voted on Sunday in the country's general election.
Dressed in a green safari shirt, Hun Manet smiled and posed for selfies with supporters after he cast his ballot in the capital Phnom Penh before a throng of media. He declined to comment on the prospect of becoming premier and said he was exercising his voting right.
Polling stations all across the country opened at 7 a.m. (0000 GMT) until 3 p.m. (0800 GMT) in an election with no viable opponent, after the main opposition Candlelight Party (CLP) was disqualified over a paperwork technicality.
The contest is effectively a one-horse race and long-serving prime minister Hun Sen, who has held on to power for 38 years, has brushed off concern about the election's credibility amid criticism of a crackdown against his opponents.
In late December 2021, a Cambodian People's Party (CPP) spokesperson confirmed that Hun Manet, the oldest son of Hun Sen, had been chosen as his official successor.
According to a leaked list of new government cabinet members posted on a Telegram channel dated February 21, 2023, Hun Manet was named as the next leader of Cambodia.
The general election is the country's seventh mandate since 1993 when it emerged from decades of war marked by death and destruction at the hands of Pol Pot's genocidal regime.
Hun Sen recently ordered the rubber-stamp parliament to revise the country's election law so that anyone who does not vote in the general election on July 23 will be barred from contesting any future elections.
In the last election in 2018, the CPP won all 125 parliamentary seats with 4.8 million votes out of the 6.9 million cast. The party expects the same result this time with 9.7 million voters on the voting list.
Reuters
