Cambodia’s sole opposition disqualified ahead of July elections

The Cambodian election commission, on Monday (May 15) refused to register and disqualified the sole opposition Candlelight Party (CP) from contesting in the upcoming elections in July. This comes after the CP failed to submit certain documents, said the officials, in a statement.

The move would also leave incumbent Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) running virtually unopposed. While there are other parties in the country who have registered for the July 23 elections, CP being the main opposition to one of the world’s longest-serving leaders it is seen as the only viable challenger to Hun Sen’s ruling CPP.

Notably, over the years the incumbent PM, who has been in power for nearly four decades now, has garnered criticism as activists and diplomats accuse him of using the legal system to crush the opposition especially prior to elections.

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This has also raised fears of undermining the democratic process in the Southeast Asian country. Hun Sen has previously said the CPP will dominate politics for up to 100 years.

As opposed to the newly reincarnated CP from the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) which is just over a year old. The CNRP had been disbanded in 2017 after a ruling by the country’s Supreme Court which led to a landslide victory for the CPP. Hun Sen’s party won every seat after the opposition CNRP had beendissolved ahead of the national elections in 2018.

According to reports, several CRNP members have either been detained or convicted of crimes while many have fled the Southeast Asian country following Hun Sen’s crackdown on critics. However, Candlelight deputy president Son Chhay, as per Reuters, has said that they would appeal this move in the constitutional court.

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A CP spokesperson Kimsour Phirith told AFP the ban was “unreasonable because we already have grassroots support,” adding that “It is difficult for Cambodia to walk the path of plural-party democracy because we cannot compete in the elections.”

Last month, Human Rights Watch, an international organisation, accused the Cambodian government of stepping up attacks on the opposition which led to assaults against members of CP.

Foreign governments need to send a clear message, that “dismantling opposition parties and disqualifying, assaulting, and arresting their members before election day means that there won't be any real election at all,” stated the HRW, in a statement on April 24.

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A prominent candidate, Rong Chhun, who sought to directly challenge Hun Sen was disqualified last week due to a previous conviction for incitement. Hun Sen has threatened CP leaders with “prison” if they rally supporters and protest the ban, as per AFP. Around 9.7 million Cambodians are set to vote in the upcoming elections for 125 MPs in the National Assembly.

(With inputs from agencies)

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