Cambodian leader’s civil war threat put to the test by vote
Hun Sen has long warned of dire consequences if he loses power, but as a new generation of voters heads to the ballot boxes, his words may be falling on deaf ears
Ever since Prime Minister Hun Sen was stung by a voter backlash four years ago, the region’s longest-serving leader has warned Cambodia would fall back into civil war if his government lost power to the opposition at the ballot box. Those threats have been made with routine abandon and are often met with scepticism by a public used to tough-talking politicians, but they will be tested today when Cambodians vote in commune elections, a key barometer of national polls due next year.
Amid waning popularity, Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) has been in a pitched battle with the opposition for the hearts of the nation’s burgeoning youth who hold little appreciation for the decades of war endured by their parents.
At least 70 per cent of the population is under the age of 35 due to a post-war baby boom. The demographic change left an indelible mark on national elections in 2013, when the CPP lost 22 seats in the 123-seat National Assembly, going from 90 to 68.
Rattled, the government has been in crisis mode ever since, finding it difficult to please a generation that is getting educated and demanding quality jobs, smartphones and luxury cars, as opposed to their parents who back the CPP because it won the war in 1998 and delivered on desperately needed security.
Threats should be taken seriously
The prime minister has recently ratcheted up his threats of doom and gloom, saying he is willing “to eliminate 100 or 200 people” to halt his overthrow.