Cambodian Vote: Economic Gains vs. Democratic Goals

Hun Sen's party denies those allegations, saying its repeated electoral victories result from the voters' belief in it as the only party able to safeguard the country and ensure development. "Every remote area that supports us, we also support them since long ago with safety and infrastructure," Sar Kheng said.

That message resonates: "We left the Pol Pot regime with empty hands, and now our living condition is better than before," said Khieu Lada, 47, a midwife. "Every year, they build us roads and schools, which shows us that they are good leaders who take care of their people."

The economic change is palpable in Cambodia these days, especially in the capital, Phnom Penh, though many of the old French colonial buildings are still run-down, and piles of pungent trash dot the city.

Parks have become more popular since the addition of Las Vegas-style fountains and landscaping. Foreign investment, particularly from South Korea, has been pouring in. Tony high-rises, such as the 52-story International Finance Complex and the 42-floor Gold Tower 42 -- two of the recent South Korean investments here -- are sprouting.

Oil exploration in the Gulf of Thailand is creating hope that the country could become a resource-rich nation. So far, the quality and size of the oil fields have not been made public, nor has the potential windfall. But economists say oil could bring a significant swell in Cambodia's gross domestic product, which was the equivalent of $8.6 billion in 2007, according to Vanndy Hem at the Asian Development Bank.

Tourism, too, continues to be a boon, as more of the world discovers the famed Angkor Wat and other temples of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of Southeast Asia for six centuries. The number of foreigners entering the country hit 2 million in 2007, said Ho Vandy, co-chair of Cambodia's Working Group on Tourism and head of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents. That number is likely to continue to increase, at least in part because of renovations that are to be completed next year on the cross-country train route that connects Phnom Penh to the temple region.

But some Cambodians say these changes underscore a need for greater democratic freedoms and the importance of being able to select decision-makers who will act in the country's best interest.

"We need to be able to make a choice," said Seb Saroth, a father of six who grows rice in Battambang province in the northwestern part of the country. On Sunday, he plans to abandon his fields to join the estimated 70 percent of the 8.1 million registered voters who will cast a ballot at one of the country's more than 15,000 polling places. "If we have democracy, it will make Cambodia a country that can save its culture," he said.

"Cambodia needs a democratic system with real checks and balances," said Kek Galabru, president of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights. "As it is, if you have only one party with actual power, the opposition cannot play a good role, and that is bad for democracy and [the] future of Cambodia."

Another key observer agreed: "Having multiple voices represented in the government makes a government more stable in the long run and attracts investors. I think pluralism is conducive to economic growth," said John Willis, resident country director for the International Republican Institute. "If you have more voices feeling like they are being heard, more people have a stake in the system being maintained."

With that in mind, Chhang Nin, a student, said he will vote for one of the 10 opposition parties. He lives in Mondulkiri, a rural northeastern province, where he attends high school and lives in a boardinghouse hours from his village.

Fresh ideas could help his country "build big buildings; and for the children, provide enough education; and for the adults, provide more factories so they can make money," he said. But the older generations may keep this from happening, he said.

"Some of the old people, they are afraid of having another war if the CPP doesn't win," Chhang Nin said. "But the election is a very important way to change the country, to move forward."