The 2022 commune election has turned into a surprising contest between the might of the ruling CPP and the resurrected Candlelight Party. Both parties had impressive displays of support in Phnom Penh on Friday, with supporters braving the monsoon rains lashing the city.
Khem Veasna has long advocated for democracy, rule of law, and what he has called a true Buddhist path. But after repeated electoral letdowns, his League of Democracy Party has opted out of this year’s election as the leader has taken a stronger spiritual turn.
The Candlelight Party describes Muoy commune as an opposition stronghold in Preah Sihanouk, where communities without land titles face precarious futures. A candidate who spent two years in jail over a land dispute thinks the issue will be his ticket to victory.
Ahead of the June 5 vote, the country currently has only one commune chief who is not from the ruling CPP: the KNUP’s Da Chhean in Banteay Meanchey. Chhean is now working with the CPP.
Preah Sihanouk is scattered with shacks and trailer homes after years of land disputes uprooted communities. Residents of the most affected communes question whether their votes can put an end to land conflicts and homelessness.
After the highs of forming government in 1993, the royalist Funcinpec, which has been plagued with infighting, now has candidates trying to reinvent the party’s image to appeal to younger voters.
The CPP made a show of strength on Friday morning with a road rally that filled Hun Sen Boulevard with a river of white-clad supporters, while the Candlelight Party also gathered supporters in a march from Chbar Ampov.
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