Cambodian ruling party MPs on Monday voted to effectively sever ties between the beleaguered opposition and its figurehead, as Prime Minister Hun Sen presses home his authority ahead of key polls next year. In a legal amendment, lawmakers agreed to ban political parties from “using the voice, images or written documents… of convicts prosecuted in … Read more
Cambodian election authorities on Sunday released final results from this month’s local polls, confirming that the opposition to the country’s strongman leader made significant gains. More than seven million people voted on June 4, testing the political temperature of a country rife with tension between Prime Minister Hun Sen and an embattled opposition determined to … Read more
Cambodia’s embattled opposition made significant gains in this weekend’s local elections, early results showed Monday, a vote closely watched for signs of vulnerability in one of the world’s longest serving leaders. More than seven million Cambodians voted in Sunday’s commune elections, the first time they have headed to the polls since 2013’s disputed election result. … Read more
A sea of pro-government supporters rallied in the Cambodian capital in support of strongman PM Hun Sen on Friday, two days before local polls set to test the mettle of an opposition desperate to upend his 32-year rule. The Sunday vote in more than 1,600 communes — village clusters — comes after months of political … Read more
Cambodia’s government has ramped up use of the courts to harass political activists and rights defenders ahead of elections, Amnesty International said Tuesday, warning the climate of fear was likely to get worse. Millions of Cambodians will head to the polls on Sunday for local elections across more than 1,600 communes — an early litmus … Read more
Tuk-tuks blaring pop music and flag-waving supporters of Cambodia’s embattled opposition led a rally on Saturday for upcoming local elections, a bellwether for efforts to end the three-decade rule of strongman Hun Sen in next year’s national polls. The June 4 vote in more than 1,600 communes — administrative clusters of villages — will take … Read more
Cambodia’s strongman premier Hun Sen warned Wednesday that he would not hesitate to quash protests with military might if they turn violent, raising tensions as the country braces for elections. Hun Sen is preparing for local polls in June and a 2018 national election after clamping down on opposition figures trying to break his 32-year … Read more
Self-exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy was sentenced to 20 months in prison by a Cambodian court Thursday for accusing the government of assassinating a prominent critic. The verdict is the latest legal case to hamper an opposition movement struggling to break Prime Minister Hun Sen’s 32-year grip on power. The defamation charge centred around the … Read more
Cambodia’s parliament passed a law Monday giving judges sweeping powers to dissolve political parties, a move seen as a brazen attempt by premier Hun Sen to checkmate his opponents ahead of next year’s polls. Hun Sen, who for three decades has led the country with force and political guile, has used the kingdom’s pliant courts … Read more
Cambodia’s opposition party was set to meet on Sunday after the shock resignation of its founder and leader, an official said, with the movement increasingly boxed in by the country’s strongman premier. Sam Rainsy, who has been at the forefront of the kingdom’s opposition scene for two decades, announced his resignation from the Cambodia National … Read more
The self-exiled leader of Cambodia’s opposition party said Saturday he would resign his post, a shock blow to a movement struggling to unseat the country’s authoritarian premier. Sam Rainsy, who has led the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) since its creation in 2012 and has spent over a year in France to avoid several lawsuits, … Read more