Hun Sen Talks Victory, Mocks Party Merger

8 June 2012
The Cambodia Daily
Banteay Meanchey Province / bombs / coalition / Commune Elections / CPP / election / Hun Sen / machine guns / National Election Committee (NEC) / national elections / National Road 56 / NEC / opposition parties / polling stations / polls / Prime Minister Hun Sen / ruling party / Untac / victory / vote / voters

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday thanked voters for the CPP’s overwhelming victory in Sunday’s commune election and told opposition parties that their plans for a coalition will not stop the ruling party’s dominance in the polls. Speaking for the first time since the elections, Mr. Hun Sen said that the country has come a long way since the Untac supervised National Elections in 1993 and praised the National Election Committee (NEC) for creating a safe environment for Sunday’s election. “The Cambodian election did not use machine guns [to protect polling stations] like in the Untac period,” he said at the inauguration of the newly renovated National Road 56 in Banteay Meanchey province. “I admire and respect the National Election Committee for its hard work,” he said. “We cannot vote while bombs explode.” …