Premier Hun Sen’s Ruling Party Gets Huge Victory for Local Election

Phnom Penh (5 June, 2012): The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Hun Sen has won up to 1,592 or 72% out of 1,633 commune chief positions in the Sunday’s local election.

All urban areas have been fallen to CPP while opposition parties — Sam Rainsy Party and Human Rights Party – have taken the positions, all parties’ officials claimed similarly.

Cheam Yeap, CPP senior parliamentarian, said that CPP is satisfied with the preliminary results and that CPP thanked to over 3.8 million of its voters.

However, both Sam Rainsy and Human Rights Parties denied parts of the preliminary results and alleged that there have been irregularities and voter intimidation.

Yim Sovann, Sam Rainsy Party spokesman, told reporters that a number of violence was declined if compared to the local election in 2007 but threats and intimidation, including fraud, have been increased this year election.

Tep Nitha, Secretary General of the National Election Committee (NEC), said that some 9.2 million people were registered in the voting list and turned out to vote about 64%, dropping from 67% in 2007 and 87% in 2002.  More than 16,000 national and international observers expected to monitor the election, he added.

Tep Nitha said that NEC had properly prepared for the lection process — voter registration and other procedure – and also arranged the state’s TV and radio airtimes for the 10 political parties carefully, so that the parties would get airtime equally for their campaign started from 18 May to 1 June, 2012.

Mr. Koul Panaha, Comfrell Executive Director, said there were some irregularities in the elections and the ruling party’s officials used the state’s properties for their campaign while both state and most private media gave more times to the ruling party.CN staff