Hun Sen shares vision of future after sweeping election win

This new leadership group, he outlined, comprises individuals with substantial education, including in the realm of digital technology.

Hun Sen hinted via his official Telegram channel that the young bloods are ready to take over from their older predecessors.

“All of these preparations are for the sake of political and economic stability and security, and to avoid chaos, wars, which cause loss and implications for the economy and country development,” he explained.

“This is a clear-cut consideration of the prime minister and the Cambodian People’s Party [CPP] to secure peace, stability, sustainability and development, which see no obstacle affecting people’s livelihood,” he added.

Sry Thamrong, Minister attached to the Prime Minister, reiterated this line-up plan during an unofficial dinner meeting between Hun Sen and the international delegation later that day. Also present was Guinea-Bissau Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam.

Despite not specifically mentioning the prospective prime ministerial candidate for the ruling CPP, Hun Manet, Thamrong shared that Nabiam had expressed readiness to collaborate with a future Cambodian government potentially led by Manet.

Kin Phea, director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, stated that if a power transfer occurs post-election, it would be an unprecedented event in 500 years of Cambodian history.

He emphasised, however, that the CPP planned power transition isn’t suspicious as this was revealed as far back as late 2021. The transfer would follow the ruling party’s internal procedures.

Phea observed that the voters’ support, which resulted in a landslide victory, indicates a public endorsement of the power transition.

“The unofficial election results show that the CPP won over 120 of the 125 parliamentary seats. With these results, the CPP faces no obstacles to internally transferring power,” he explained.

Phea concluded that this instance of power transition in Cambodia may serve as a lesson for other countries, particularly concerning the planning for future generations of leadership.

According to Thamrong, Hun Sen also thanked his Guinea-Bissau counterpart for participating in the election monitoring and expressed a desire to enhance cooperation with the African nation.

“[Hun Sen] expressed his aspiration for future agreements with Guinea-Bissau. He particularly mentioned potential areas like agricultural cooperation, investment and several other possible sectors,” Thamrong conveyed.

On the subject of election monitoring, Nabiam also met with Minister of Interior Sar Kheng. Also, a deputy prime minister, Sar Kheng expressed gratitude for Nabiam’s presence, viewing it as an endorsement of Cambodia’s democratic elections and a sign of strengthening relations between the two countries.

Sar Kheng stated that both parties had mutually agreed to support security cooperation, especially the sharing of experiences on security, safety and social order. He underscored the general election situation, noting Cambodia’s maturity in its preparation and adherence to the electoral law.

Nabiam expressed his delight in visiting Cambodia and observing the election. He noted the similarities between the nature of Cambodian elections and those in his own country and spoke of the new insights he gained on organising a peaceful election.

Yang Peou, secretary-general of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, underlined the importance of expanding relations and cooperation with other countries. He emphasised the mutual benefits these alliances could offer on the international stage, such as within the UN framework.

About 440,000 spoilt ballots logged on July 23 national election: NEC

A representative of the National Election Committee (NEC) reported that about 440,000 spoilt ballots had been logged over the July 23-24 period.

NEC deputy secretary-general Som Sorida told The Post on July 24 that of the total 8,212,411 ballots cast, 7,772,615 were deemed valid with the remainder identified as spoilt.

“These roughly 440,000 spoilt ballots constituted around four per cent of the total vote. This figure is fewer than those recorded in the 2018 general election,” he noted.

Sorida further clarified that the NEC was not privy to the number of spoilt ballots, saying the information was available to the vote counting commissions.

The spoilt ballots – deemed invalid due to incorrect marking or accidental or deliberate damage such as being torn, soiled or marked in a way that would identify the voter – were packaged and placed in designated boxes.

“These spoilt ballots were not included in the final count by our election officials. The spoilt ballot never makes its way into the ballot box,” said Sorida.

The preliminary results released late on July 23 indicated a sweeping victory for the ruling CPP with 120 seats, while the royalist FUNCINPEC Party claimed five. Led by Prince Norodom Chakravuth, FUNCINPEC took one seat each in Phnom Penh and four provincial constituencies of Prey Veng, Kampong Cham, Kandal and Kampong Thom provinces.

Yang Kim Eng, president of the People’s Centre for Development and Peace, struck a negative note, claiming that voter reluctance was high due to a lack of favoured political parties.

However, he acknowledged the intelligence of those who opted to vote for FUNCINPEC.

“The people voted for FUNCINPEC because they didn’t want a single party controlling the National Assembly (NA). They were seeking democracy in Cambodia. However, FUNCINPEC’s political messaging failed to sway public sentiment,” he said.

Kim Eng added that the failure of certain political parties to secure NA seats was largely due to their inability to effectively campaign and disseminate their political programmes to local communities and the populace in general.

Meanwhile, Yem Ponharith, vice-president of the Khmer National United Party (KNUP), said that based on preliminary results, his party had not yet received enough votes to secure an NA seat.

“We express our gratitude to all Cambodians for participating in the polls on July 23. Our party pledges to continue our efforts in the political arena to prioritise the welfare of Cambodia and its people,” he said in a July 24 social media post.

CPP spokesman Sok Eysan could not be reached for comment on July 24. However, in an interview with the US-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the night of July 23, he praised the strong will of voters in their democratic participation.

Kin Phea, director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, lauded the “significant” turnout of over 84 % of eligible voters.

“This demonstrates that the people chose to exercise their democratic rights, opting for peace over social chaos, and showing a clear preference for the CPP,” he said.

As the election has drawn to a close, NEC chairman Prach Chan urged the public and all political parties to remain calm and await the official results.

“I call on all concerned parties to remain calm and patient as we work towards declaring the official election results,” he said.

The announcement of the final results is expected to take place between August 9 and September 4.

Samban Chandara, Ry Sochan and Kim Yutharo 

The Phnom Penh Post

Asia News Network