With a series of legal tactics that wiped out the increasingly popular opposition party and its manipulation of the electorate, Cambodia's ruling party has played dirty to win tomorrow's general election but also surely soured the legitimacy of its victory.
While the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, will almost certainly achieve the former, it will also accomplish the latter. The CPP's unchallenged victory in tomorrow's polls simply spells trouble ahead for the strongman and his ruling party.
For one thing, the lack of legitimacy in the victory will remain a thorn in the side of the CPP, a constant reminder that Cambodians still need a real election, not a fake one.
