Big opposition gains
The ruling Cambodian People’s Party saw its ironclad grip on the National Assembly weaken dramatically, dropping 22 seats in winning 68 of 123, with the opposition the beneficiary and the CPP’s royalist coalition partners winning none at all in an election rife with alleged irregularities. Though polls – which opened at 7am – were calm for the most part, isolated incidents of violence in Phnom Penh, Kandal and Prey Veng attested to the unusually tense atmosphere surrounding this election, the most fiercely contested in a decade. And though the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party made unprecedented gains, party officials said they believed their share of the vote was far higher than reported, while election monitors warned of widespread irregularities. According to figures released by the CPP and concurrently posted on other government websites including that of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee, the opposition won in four provinces: Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham, Prey Veng and Kandal, and made inroads on every CPP stronghold. A tense day With numerous names missing from voter lists, allegations of illegal voting, and concerns over the quality of the election ink and ballot paper, pressure at times exploded into violence. In Phnom Penh’s Stung Meanchey commune, a riot broke out in the afternoon as voters left off the list contested the results of the election, claiming officials had allowed Vietnamese to illegally vote. … Crying foul Though violence affected only a handful of areas, alleged irregularities were rife, election monitors Comfrel, the National Democratic Institute and Transparency International reported. “Based on the standards of democracy and the principle of democracies worldwide, for that to meet the [international] standards of elections, Cambodia’s elections fell short,” Preap Kol, executive director of TI Cambodia, said at a conference held last night. … Observers recorded unprecedented voter list problems, “unusual” numbers of police at polling stations and at least two stations that were moved without prior notice. … Tough pill for CPP If preliminary results are accurate, the tally sees the CPP drop to its lowest vote share in 15 years. While its majority stands, and the party will retain power thanks to the constitution’s “50-plus-one” proviso, officials appeared somewhat cowed yesterday. “The success is not like the election in 2008, and we will have to make some reforms, review and work harder,” admitted senior CPP lawmaker [Chheang] Vun. …
