Cambodia Today - Cambodia - page 599

Politics
The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has
dominated the politics of Cambodia since
1979 when it was installed in power by the Vi-
etnamese. Party and state are intertwined and
the CPP leadership has been making plans for
the future with dynastic alliances between its
offspring. Just look at the roll call of mar-
riages in the past decade and it soon becomes
apparent that senior leaders such as Prime
Minister Hun Sen have their eyes firmly on a
potential handover of power to the children of
the elite.
However, this sophisticated system of con-
trol was shaken in the 2013 national election
when the united opposition was able to make
significant gains in the national assembly.
Long-standing opposition leader Sam Rainsy
united with Human Rights Party leader Kem
Sokha to launch the Cambodia National Res-
cue Party (CNRP).
Official results from the National Election
Commission (NEC) showed the CPP had won
68 seats and the CNRP 55 seats, a dramatic
decline for the previously unassailable CPP.
However, the opposition cried foul, as the
NEC is seen by observers as a tool of the rul-
ing party. According to official opposition
counts and some independent observers, the
CNRP may have even won the popular vote by a slight majority and claimed 62 seats to
the CPP's 61 seats.
The CPP pushed ahead with official results and the new assembly was sworn in with
only 68 MPs, as the opposition refused to take its seats. Mass demonstrations were called
and petitions delivered to embassies around Phnom Penh. At the time of writing, the
demonstrations remained largely peaceful, but the political impasse continued. Many

Best on Film
The Killing Fields (1984) This definitive
film on the Khmer Rouge period in Cam-
bodia tells the story of American journalist
Sydney Schanberg and his Cambodian as-
sistant Dith Pran during and after the war.

Apocalypse Now (1979) In Francis Ford
Coppola's masterpiece, a renegade colonel,
played by Marlon Brando, goes AWOL in
Cambodia. Martin Sheen plays a young
soldier sent to bring him back, and the en-
suing encounter makes for one of the most
powerful indictments of war ever made.

Best in Print
Cambodia's Curse (Joel Brinkley)
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist pulls no
punches in his criticism of the government
and donors alike.

Cambodia Now (Karen Coates) A no-
holds-barred look at contemporary Cam-
bodia through the eyes of its diverse popu-
lation.

The Gate (François Bizot) Bizot was kid-
napped by the Khmer Rouge, and later
held by them in the French embassy.

Voices from S-21 (David Chandler) A
study of the Khmer Rouge's interrogation
and torture centre.