Opposition urges King to resolve poll dispute

Opposition urges King to resolve poll dispute

The Cambodia Herald – September 4, 2013

PHNOM PENH (AFP) -- Opposition party has called on the nation's king to resolve a festering dispute over elections in July which saw Prime Minister Hun Sen retain power.

Preliminary official poll results handed victory to Hun Sen's long-ruling Cambodian People's Party, dismaying the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) which alleges massive vote-rigging.

The CNRP, which has so far unsuccessfully demanded an independent probe into the election, has said thousands of its supporters will protest peacefully on Saturday in one of the largest opposition demonstrations for a decade.

Final poll results are expected to be announced by September 8, after which there will be no further legal challenges available to the opposition.

With time running out, its leader Sam Rainsy on Monday sent a letter to King Norodom Sihamoni urging him to step in and break the impasse.

"I request your majesty to intervene in order to find a resolution for the irregularities in the election with transparency and justice that the Cambodian people want," Rainsy said in the letter which emerged Wednesday.

Cambodia's king is the official head of state but analysts say the office no longer exercises political power, giving Hun Sen -- who has been in office for nearly three decades -- full control.

The opposition has called for a non-violent protest on Saturday, urging supporters to avoid unleashing "chaos" that could deepen the political divide.
   

Security forces and armoured vehicles have been deployed around the capital since the July 28 poll, in a move the opposition decried as intimidation.

The US embassy warned its citizens to avoid the rally, saying even peaceful gatherings "can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence without warning".

Cambodia's government has also warned foreigners to stay away from the demonstration.

The CNRP has also said it plans to file a criminal lawsuit against election authorities over the vote, which the Cambodian Pepople's Party said it won with 68 lower house seats to the opposition's 55.

The National Election Committee has said Hun Sen's party won 3.2 million votes to the opposition's 2.9 million, although it has yet to reveal the party's share of parliamentary seats.

Hun Sen, 61, who has vowed to rule until he is 74, has said he will form a government despite the opposition's allegations.

A former Khmer Rouge cadre, he defected from the murderous regime and oversaw Cambodia's transformation into one of Southeast Asia's most vibrant economies.

His government is regularly accused of ignoring human rights and suppressing political dissent.