Row over Cambodia poll results heats up

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen arrives at Phnom Penh international Airport, August 12, 2013. Cambodia's main opposition party on Monday rejected official results showing the ruling party of Prime Minister Hun Sen won last month's election, and called on the international community not to recognize the result. [Photo/Agencies]

PHNOM PENH -- A dispute over Cambodian election results is heating up as the opposition party rejected the initial official results that showed the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen won a majority of votes in the July 28 poll.    

The state's National Election Committee (NEC) released the results on Monday, showing that Hun Sen's party got 3,235,969 votes and the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) of longtime opposition leader Sam Rainsy received 2,946,176 votes.

The CPP calculated that with its 3,235,969 votes, it won 68 seats of the 123 parliamentary seats, while the CNRP, with its 2, 946,176 votes, got the remaining 55 seats.

Hun Sen, who has ruled the country for 28 years, will continue to stay in power for another five years through the outcome.

But the opposition CNRP rejected the results, warning that there could be possible uprising or protests by people if an independent poll irregularity investigation committee was not formed.

"The CNRP is very disappointed and opposed to the National Election Committee for releasing the preliminary election results in a situation that the poll irregularities on the election day have not been either investigated or resolved," Kem Sokha, CNRP's Vice President, said in a press conference on Monday.

"The party's leaders decided to reject the temporary results," he said.

"The NEC released the results during a fragile political situation, so it must be responsible for any possible mutinies or protests that could happen and lead to political instability," he added.

He said if an independent committee was not established for the investigation, he would like to call for the international community not to recognize any government that would be established from the election on July 28.

Kem Sokha claimed that the CNRP should win 63 seats, with the CPP getting the remaining 60 seats if the serious irregularities were investigated and resolved.

The opposition claimed that about 1.3 million voters were unable to vote because their names were not on the voter list. In addition, it said, there were about 1 million ghost names on the voter lists and about 200,000 duplicate names.

As of Monday, the proposed independent committee, which is seen as the only body to peacefully resolve the dispute between the two parties over the poll results, has not been set up yet due to disagreement over committee members.