26 July 2013
Some 9.6 million people - most of whom are first-time voters - are expected to vote for 123 seats in parliament
In Phnom Penh, the streets are filled with flags and billboards from the eight parties contesting Sunday's general election.
Brightly-coloured images calling on Cambodians to make the right choice adorn the boulevards.
Up for grabs are 123 seats in parliament, with some 9.6
million people are expected to vote - many of them for the very first
time.
But although there are several parties vying for victory,
there are only two that Cambodian voters are truly paying any attention
to.
The Cambodian People's Party (CPP), run by Prime Minister Hun
Sen, has been campaigning on a platform of continued development and
stability.
Young Cambodians' election wishes
Hun Sen, one of the world's longest-serving prime ministers, has been in power in Cambodia for 28 years.
Many here credit him with having steered the nation out of a
civil war and raising living standards for the population of 14 million.
Under him, Cambodia has seen strong economic growth, thanks
to a combination of foreign aid, development, tourism and garment
exports.
But Hun Sen has also regularly been accused by human rights
groups of keeping a tight grip on power by clamping down on any form of
dissent.
Now analysts say there appears to be a definite desire for change among some of the electorate.
"There's something different in the air," said Jackson Cox, a political and economic risk consultant and keen Cambodia-watcher.
"I'd hate to make predictions, but I can't see how the opposition would not increase their share in the national assembly."
The opposition Mr Cox is referring to is the Cambodian
National Rescue Party (CNRP) - a group formed as a result of the merger
between the Sam Rainsy Party and the Human Rights Party.
As separate entities, they were no match for the might and
political machinery of Hun Sen's ruling CPP. But by joining forces, the
CNRP is posing the biggest challenge to the current regime that Cambodia
has seen in decades.
That is despite the fact that opposition party leader Sam
Rainsy is not being allowed to contest in these elections, after
returning from a self-imposed exile abroad.
'We want more'
Mr Rainsy, centre, returned to Cambodia in July following a royal pardon
Mr Rainsy left Cambodia after being jailed in absentia in 2010 on charges he says were politically motivated.
He was granted a royal pardon and allowed to return last week to Cambodia.
Observers say the turnout he received when he returned was
unprecedented - thousands of enthusiastic and emboldened supporters
greeting him as he arrived back in Phnom Penh.
"I think Mr Rainsy and his party have a very simple message,"
said Mr Cox. "It is striking a chord with people. Do you like the way
things are or do you want change? Many Cambodians are screaming for
change."
"There is also no longer that cloak of fear, the way it used
to be in the past. People aren't afraid to be out on the streets and
true to themselves."
And that certainly appears to be the sentiment among many of the urban youth in Phnom Penh.
I sat down with a group of young men and women in a cafe in
the city, and many expressed a desire for greater political
participation in their country.
"I acknowledge that the current government has made huge
improvements and strides in this country since the days of the war,"
says 32-year-old Chulsa Heng.
"But we want more. I still think Cambodia has a long way to go, and it's still not enough."
First-time voter Ngoun Somaly said that regardless of who she
ended up choosing on polling day, there were many issues that the
current government was not paying enough attention to.
"Human rights violations, land grabbing from rural peasants
and a lack of job opportunities for Cambodia's graduates - we need to
see more firm action on that," she said.
"Whoever wins the election must work hard to fix these problems. I really want to see these human rights issues solved."
'Toe the line'
Hun Many, centre, son of Hun Sen, said proof of election complaints is needed
But analysts say regardless of the swelling popularity of the
opposition, it is unlikely it will be able to unseat the ruling party's
majority in parliament.
"Of course Hun Sen and the Cambodian People's Party will win
this election," said Sophal Ear, author of Aid Dependence in Cambodia:
How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy.
"When you control much of the media, and you have schools and
bridges named after you, when the National Election Committee is under
your thumb - how could you not?
"People know what's good for them in Cambodia and that is to toe the line. Any threats have been beaten back or neutralised."
Human rights groups have already warned that the elections on Sunday may not be free and fair.
The National Democratic Institute released a report this week
on the government's voter list. It said it has found that 10.4% of
voters listed could not be located and 9.4% of eligible voters had been
deleted from the list.
New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims that
Cambodia's security forces are openly campaigning for Prime Minister Hun
Sen and the ruling CPP party.
"When security forces take sides in elections, voters feel
intimidated," said Brad Adams, Asia Director of HRW in a press
statement.
"Voters should feel protected by security forces, not threatened."
But Hun Sen's youngest son, Hun Many, 29, contests those
claims. Head of the ruling party's youth wing, he is running for a seat
in parliament in this election.
"Is there any proof to these allegations?" he asked, as he
greeted cheering supporters at a campaign rally. "At every election
there are always these complaints - and not just in Cambodia it's all
over the place."
"In Thailand, in Malaysia - Prime Minister Najib received the
same criticism. If there is proof, present it to the National Election
Commission and let them decide!"
These elections are being billed as Cambodia's most historic
since the UN oversaw the first of Cambodia's elections in 1993, after
the Paris Peace Accords.
While Prime Minister Hun Sen is expected to remain
victorious, Sunday's results could see the biggest and most serious
challenge to his almost three-decade rule.
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