PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Cambodia’s poll body on Monday said it has disqualified the sole opposition Candlelight Party from contesting upcoming elections in July, over its failure to submit proper registration documents.
Though other parties have signed up to contest in the Southeast Asian country, the Candlelight’s disqualification means the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) looks set to run virtually unopposed.
Asked for comment on the disqualification, spokesperson for the CPP Sok Eysan said the election would be free and fair, adding that more than 10 parties had registered.
Just over a year old, the Candlelight Party is a reincarnation of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), a popular opposition that the Supreme Court disbanded in 2017 ahead of an election that was swept by CPP.
Scores of former CNRP members have been detained or convicted of crimes, many in absentia having fled into exile amid a sweeping crackdown by long serving Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Hun Sen has previously said the CPP will dominate politics for up to 100 years.
Candlelight Party officials were not immediately available for comment.
Human Rights watch last month accused Cambodia’s government of stepping up attacks on the opposition with rhetoric that had led to assaults on members of the Candlelight Party.
It took aim at Hun Sen for what it said were warnings against it criticising his government ahead of the election.
In an April 24 statement, it said foreign governments should send a clear message that “dismantling opposition parties and disqualifying, assaulting, and arresting their members before election day means that there won’t be any real election at all.”
The government has denied targeting its opponents, saying legal cases against them were enforcement of the law.
(Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor, Martin Petty)
