Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday called for an electoral law change that could disfellowship his political opponents in exile, a month ahead of July’s parliamentary elections when his party faces no opposition.
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The strongman of the small, poor Southeast Asian country, who has been in power for 38 years, wants to prevent anyone from running who did not vote in a previous election.
“If you don’t vote on July 23, 2023, you no longer have the right to be elected in the future,” the leader told thousands of garment workers in the capital Phnom Penh.
“You won’t be able to imagine yourself for the rest of your life,” he said.
Hun Sen asserted that this clause had become indispensable in response to activists calling for a boycott of the parliamentary elections in a climate of repression of the opposition denounced by human rights groups.
The text, which the leader said will be ready before July 23, is particularly aimed at political opponents who have had to leave the kingdom to avoid trials they believe are biased.
In mid-May, the Electoral Commission refused To the main opposition party, the Candle Party, due to an incomplete file.
This controversial decision allows Hun Sen’s party to run virtually unopposed in the nationwide vote.
The leader, 70 years old and using methods considered authoritarian, is applying for a new mandate.
He appointed his son, four-star general Hun Manet (45), to succeed him.
Critics say Hun Sen restricted basic freedoms as the vote neared and used the courts to silence critical voices.
The main political opponent, Kem Sokha, was sentenced to 27 years in prison for treason in early March, which the politician, who is under house arrest, has appealed.
Another personality, Sam Rainsy, has been living in exile in France since 2015 to avoid prison because he has a set of beliefs that he believes are politically motivated.