Radio Free Asia: Cambodia’s Ruling, Opposition Parties Claim Commune Election Victories

Thanks Sovannarith Keo for quoting me in RFA Khmer: Associate professor of Diplomacy and World Affairs at Occidental College Sophal Ear told RFA that the CNRP’s performance in the commune elections amounted to a win “against fear, intimidation, and electoral abuse,” adding that the CPP had “barely won the majority.”

“Hun Sen's party went from nearly 62 percent of the vote down to 51 percent; this is an 11 percentage point decrease. In other countries, a performance like this would make the party re-think its strategy, maybe even rethink its choice of Prime Minister before disaster strikes,” he said.

“It's good to retire when you're on top instead of when you are forced to quit.”

Sophal Ear noted that in winning 46 percent of the popular vote, the CNRP saw a 15 percentage point increase over around 31 percent in total as the HRP and SRP during the 2012 commune election.

“If the CNRP thought its bar was to do better than 2012, then it clearly produced results,” he said.

The opposition party has a legitimate shot at unseating Hun Sen in 2018, Sophal Ear said, “if the CNRP is not dissolved before then.”

“[This election] shows that despite incredible arm-twisting, the people are not afraid—the people want change.” Columbia University Press TED Fellows

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/victories-06052017150118.html