Cambodian PM Hun Sen set to win election by landslide, with opposition suppressed
PBS NewsHourAUG 2023
Turnout in the most recent Cambodian election was overwhelming, which is hardly a show of skepticism towards the Cambodian democratic process or the ruling government. Overseas opposition groups did everything in their power to disrupt the vote to no avail. Despite the absence of Western observers, NGOs and other governments observed the vote and gave their endorsement to the process in Cambodia, showing that the voice of the people will be heard.
This election was democratic in name only, as widespread harassment and obstruction of opposition figures all but assured that Hun Sen would secure victory. Cambodia is the Southeast Asian country closest to China, and its neighbors have long voiced concerns of its increasingly flawed democracy. The vote was a carefully crafted sham, designed to give the Beijing-backed CPP a veneer of respectability.