Australia Rules Out Sending Diplomats to Monitor ‘Sham’ Cambodia Election

Australia will not send diplomats to monitor the Cambodian election, which has been described as a "sham". The United States has taken a similar stance, staying away from the polls to avoid legitimising an election that is almost guaranteed to continue Prime Minister Hun Sen's 33-year reign. The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) is running without major challenge, after the main opposition party was made illegal last year, its leader jailed and its MPs banned from politics for five years.

While 19 small parties have registered for Sunday's vote, all are either linked to the CPP or are too tiny to aspire to more than a seat or two. Threats, intimidation, bribery and the shutdown of independent media have marred the lead-up to the vote. "Reflecting our concerns with the electoral process, Australia will not monitor the national election," a spokesperson for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.

"We will continue to raise our concerns at the highest levels of the Cambodian Government." The decision was welcomed by the now-defunct opposition. "I'm delighted and I thank Australia — a democratic country — for supporting us and taking our side," Thach Seitha, a former senator for the outlawed Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), said. The response from Hun Sen's ruling party was frosty. "Only the Cambodian people can judge this election, the outsiders' assessment doesn't reflect the will of the Cambodian people and could also be political," CPP spokesman Sok Ey San said.