Election Campaigning Kicks off in Phnom Penh With Massive CPP Rally

On the first day of national election campaigning, the ruling Cambodian People’s Party held a massive rally in Phnom Penh, while another political party was blocked from entering its venue and the remaining groups stayed mostly quiet in the capital.

More than 10 of the 18 eligible parties held rallies across the country, according to the National Election Committee. 

But authorities barred the Khmer National United Party from entering its planned rally venue inside Freedom Park because the CPP had already booked the site.

The CPP held its own rally across the city at Koh Pich, where Prime Minister Hun Sen addressed a crowd of thousands clad in the blue and white uniforms of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party in Phnom Penh on Saturday.

Hun Sen assured supporters that the CPP would continue to promote “a multi-party liberal democratic political system in a parliamentary manner to be stable forever,” according to a translation of his speech shared by government-aligned outlet Fresh News.

The CPP controls all 125 seats in the National Assembly, after sweeping the 2018 national election months after dissolving the CNRP opposition party. In May, the National Election Committee and the Constitutional Council — both led by ruling CPP members — ruled the Candlelight Party could not compete in the July 23 elections.

Hun Sen then warned that his party would “prevent and eradicate all forms [of] extremist politics and activities…which seek to incite national division, create social chaos, destroy peace, and cause political instability in Cambodia in the form of rebellion.”

“The rights and freedoms of the people are respected, protected and promoted,” Hun Sen added from the podium outside the Diamond Island Convention Center.

The prime minister touted what he claimed were his government’s greatest achievements in the past five years: fighting against Covid-19, organizing the ASEAN summit and hosting the Southeast Asian Games.

“Bravo! Cambodian People’s Party! We live with the Cambodian people, we’re not running away from the people, we win forever,” Hun Sen chanted as balloons bearing the party’s logo floated high above him, alongside several drones flitting about as part of the rally’s filmed coverage.

Hun Sen reminded supporters of his campaign promises to continue increasing the salaries and pensions of civil servants and the armed forces, expand primary schools and rural development and refrain from taxing household farmlands. He also emphasized the country would double-down on “independent foreign policy.”

Hun Sen then laid out his party’s six “priority policies”:

• Expand health care coverage to more than 450,000 vulnerable families using the Health Equity Fund and increase health care coverage for people holding National Social Security Fund cards. 

• Provide tuition-free vocational training and scholarships to 1.5 million young people from poor families.

• Establish a “national social assistance program for poor families” to cover 4.3 million people.

• Increase protections to self-employed and informal economy workers, especially access to health care services.

• Budget at least $100 million “with the goal of maintaining price stability” for crops such as cashews, cassava, mangos and rice.

• Deploy technical officers to “promote agricultural productivity and assist farmers’ families in promoting their agricultural products.”

Hun Sen then called for his supporters to cast their votes for the CPP, as a banner displayed the party’s updated logo of flowers forming the number 18 — the CPP’s place on the ballot.

Following the morning speech, thousands of CPP supporters were released onto the streets in a march and motorcade, waving Cambodian and party flags and blasting pop and campaign songs.

CPP party member, Ven Sophanren said he thought the party’s policies “are good on all points” and expressed his firm support for Hun Sen and his son, Hun Manet, as the future candidate for prime minister.

Many of the CPP’s supporters told CamboJA they had come to the rally out of “love” for the party and its leaders. Sav Chanty, a  villager living in Phnom Penh’s Stung Meanchey district, said around 200 people from her village had been bussed in and provided free meals from a commune councilor. 

Another resident of Phnom Penh, Chan Dy, said he was promised 20,000 riel ($5) to attend the day’s festivities. 

“But if I don’t join the parade till the end, they will not give any,” Dy added.

The Other Parties

National Election Committee Hang Puthea spokesperson said that on the first day of the election campaign approximately 100,000 people joined nationwide and about 10 other parties held rallies. Besides the CPP, the Khmer United National Party and the Khmer Anti-Poverty Party held rallies in the capital on Saturday.

“The political environment is good and there are no negative irregularities,” he said. “I think on the second and third day it will go smoothly, based on the spirit and conscience of all stakeholders and citizens.”

Grassroots Democratic Party spokesperson Sek Sokha said that the party will carry out an electoral campaign on July 10 to celebrate the anniversary of prominent political analyst Kem Ley’s murder.

He said that the party is considering the location and time to do the campaign still not set yet. 

Funcinpec spokesperson Nhoeurn Raden said the party planned to hold a rally of 5,000 people at their headquarters by the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh on Sunday.

Candlelight spokesperson Kimsour Phearith, disqualified from the ballot, said that his party would not hold forums with party members during the electoral campaigning period and was “retreating” to focus on grassroots activism in the future.

Phearith outlined his party’s plan for the coming weeks: “Do not disturb them [the ruling CPP], and let them do it [electoral campaigning] because we cannot participate in the election.”

Reporting by Khuon Narim, Sovann Sreypich, Phon Sothyroth, Runn Sreydeth and Jack Brook