The Cambodian election is over except for some vote-counting in remote areas. There was no shock. Prime Minister Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) won easily, and will apparently rule legally for yet another five years. Thais must hope and work to ensure that this country does not go the lamentable direction of Cambodia.
The false element in the Cambodian process is that the people did not receive a free and fair election. Hun Sen did not win consent to continue as his country's strongman. He stole the right to stay in office through a variety of means ranging from intimidation to outright shameful use of his office and his loyalists. Neighbours and the world at large are forced to deal with a prime minister and government that have become an abusive one-party state, if not a downright dictatorship.
At 65, after 33 years at the head of the Cambodian government, Hun Sen is one of the longest-serving national leaders. He is not, however, a statesman. As election campaigning ended last week, Hun Sen unleashed a tirade against the exiled and imprisoned political opposition leaders. He called them "destroyers of democracy", which in other circumstances might be laughable if it were not so shocking.
