Cambodia’s Exiled Opposition Figure Urges International Community to Reject Election Results

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy delivers a speech to members of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) at a hotel in metro Manila, Philippines, on June 29, 2016. Romeo Ranoco/Reuters

An exiled former Cambodian opposition leader has urged the international community to reject the results of the country’s upcoming election, citing “systematic manipulation and falsification” by the Cambodian authorities.

Sam Rainsy, who co-founded the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), said Cambodia has only had one fair election since 1975—the United Nations-supervised election in 1993, which saw the defeat of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) led by Prime Minister Hun Sen.