Cambodian Vote: Economic Gains vs. Democratic Goals

National Elections Expected to Extend Premier's Tenure

BATTAMBANG, Cambodia -- After almost four decades of war and poverty, life is looking up in Cambodia.

Skyscraper construction in the capital, promising oil exploration and fast-growing international tourism are starting to produce a better standard of living in a country where a third of the 14 million citizens get by on less than $1 a day.

As Cambodians head to the polls Sunday for national elections, some say the country's economic transformation should be matched by a political one. They express a desire for a more legitimately competitive political system and a broader spectrum of political players, instead of the singular grip of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled the country since 1993.

Most observers predict that Hun Sen and his Cambodian People's Party will win big because of the party's massive campaign push and its year-round presence in almost every village. But that doesn't diminish the value of these elections, said Tom Andrews, senior adviser for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs.

"This election is an important step on the road to a truly democratic Cambodia," said Andrews, a former congressman from Maine who has been observing Cambodia's evolution from communism to democracy. "There are many, many steps remaining for this country before it is a fully functioning democracy, but when you look at it from a vantage point of Cambodia's recent history in the last 10 years or so, you can see clear progress."

Starting in 1970, Cambodia suffered five years of all-out war, then four years of murderous communist Khmer Rouge rule, then 14 years of on-and-off civil war. Finally, the factions agreed to a truce and to let the United Nations organize the first open national election.

A party representing the royal family won that race in 1993, but the Cambodian People's Party demanded a joint leadership role for Hun Sen, a onetime Khmer Rouge officer who defected from the movement. Hun Sen then ousted the co-premier in a coup and took full control of the government in 1997.

Opponents say politics have been largely frozen since then, with Hun Sen's party using government agencies -- especially the police and courts -- to maintain tight control, while fostering close alliances with China and North Korea.

Critics say the party ensures its popularity by buying votes with sarongs, rice and small sums of money. They also say the party nurtures a reputation as Cambodia's economic savior by taking credit for infrastructure improvements, plastering the names of the party and its leaders on government projects. There are hundreds of primary and high schools named for Hun Sen throughout the countryside.

"Under the leadership of the three [party leaders], Cambodia has become a more developed country," Sar Kheng, the deputy prime minister and minister of interior, said at a Cambodian People's Party election rally Friday attended by about 5,000 supporters. "If you vote for CPP, you will have more roads, schools, hospitals, pagodas and everything."

The country's minority parties take offense at this carrot-on-a-stick tactic.

"Look, look, look! How can it be donated?" the country's main opposition leader, Sam Rainsy, asked recently, shaking his fist at a bridge plaque that read "Donated by the Royal Government of Cambodia." "It is the job of the government to build bridges. They treat people in Cambodia like beggars. It's a beggar mentality that they want to maintain so they can stay in power."