Opposition chief sees Cambodian election as foregone conclusion

Source:Xinhua Published: 2013-7-27 16:39:47

The Sunday's parliamentary election is a foregone conclusion and observers will not expect to see any irregularities during the election, Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Saturday.

"The result of this election has been determined, known before the voting day, so you will not see anything, just polling stations...," Sam Rainsy, president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), told a delegation of foreign observers from various countries at a meeting at the party's headquarters. "There is no point in monitoring the foregone conclusion."

The opposition has repeatedly said that the National Election Committee (NEC) is biased towards the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of longtime Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Rainsy, however, recognized that there has been progress in this country in terms of reduction in violence and casualties during the month-long election campaign, which was concluded on Friday.

"In previous elections, there had been more violence, more casualties; therefore, I recognize that there is an improvement during this time of election," he said.

NEC's Secretary General Tep Nytha could not be reached for comments on Saturday.

Eight political parties will run in the Sunday's parliamentary polls with about 9.67 million eligible voters.

Two major parties are the ruling CPP of Hun Sen and the opposition CNRP of Sam Rainsy.

Political observers foresee that Hun Sen's party will win the majority vote in the elections.

One of the world's longest-serving leaders, Hun Sen, 61, has been in power for 28 years and vowed to rule the country for at least another decade.

"The ruling CPP will most likely win the elections with an absolute majority due to its financial resources and long-standing relationship with the public especially in the rural areas," he told Xinhua.

"It is impossible for the opposition party to win the ruling CPP of Prime Minister Hun Sen," said Sok Touch, deputy director general of the Royal Academy of Cambodia's International Relations Institute.

"The ruling party holds power and has strong financial resources. In addition, it has strong organizational structures from top to grassroots levels with dominant access to mass media."

In the last elections in July 2008, Hun Sen's party won 90 seats out of the 123 seats in the National Assembly, while the opposition group totally gained 29 seats.


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