Opinion, Asia Times, 5 July 2023 (Link)
Despite criticism, there are reasons to believe that the July 23 election will be legitimate
On July 23, Cambodia will witness another historical milestone, the seventh quinquennial national election.
This election further reflects the peaceful democratization in Cambodia
based on the rule of law.
Cambodia is a rare example among post-conflict nations in three aspects.
First, it is among the few post-conflict countries that did not fall back
into civil war.
From a historical perspective, peace is the most important prerequisite
for Cambodia as it continues to develop into one of the most successful
post-conflict nations. Many nations, such as Afghanistan, Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, Somalia, Sierra Leone, and Sudan, that received United Nations peacekeepers in the 1990s are still
in conflict.
In contrast, since the UN-brokered election in 1993, Cambodia has been
generally peaceful without large-scale conflict.
After the integration of the remaining Khmer Rouge forces in late 1998
through the “win-win” policy of Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia united
its national army for the first time. That was key to eliminating a structure
of violence that had existed in Cambodian politics for a long time.
For instance, until late 1998, Cambodian political parties still
controlled different factions of the army, and therefore the system provided
room for violence when different parties could not reconcile their differences.
The clash in July 1997 was the prime example
of armed struggle between troops that were loyal to the Cambodian People’s
Party (CPP) and the FUNCINPEC party.
Therefore, for a country like Cambodia, achieving unity of the national
army cannot be underrated in terms of its contribution to peace.
It is important to note that all previous Cambodian governments had never
been able to control the whole national army, and to occupy the whole sovereign
territory without guerrilla forces or autonomous regions.
Constitution supports democracy
Second, Cambodia’s democratization is peaceful and irreversible.