The Candlelight Party, Cambodia’s primary opposition party, has been disqualified by the country’s election commission from participating in the July election. This move will allow the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) to run virtually unopposed. The commission stated that the party had failed to submit “proper registration documents.”
Although other parties have registered for the general election, the Candlelight Party was the most significant challenger to the CPP and Prime Minister Hun Sen’s decades-long hold on power.
ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights board member Kasit Piromya, a former Thai foreign minister, stated in a statement on Tuesday, “The Hun Sen regime once again shows its utter disdain for the principles of democracy and unwillingness to compete in free and fair elections.”
“If it wants the world to take the results of the July election seriously, the Cambodian government must halt all efforts to hamstring its opponents and ensure a space for all parties to participate,” Piromya added.
The ban on the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) ahead of the last election in 2018, which allowed the CPP to win every seat in parliament, is echoed by the move against the Candlelight Party. The Candlelight Party was previously known as the Sam Rainsy Party and joined forces with the Human Rights Party to form the CNRP in 2012.
2023-05-16 23:30:03 Cambodia’s main opposition party barred from July election
Article from www.aljazeera.com
