VOA慢速英语--柬埔寨执政党无挑战胜出大选

Ruling Party Faces Little Challenge in Cambodia's Election

Cambodians vote Sunday for all 125 seats in the country's National Assembly.

Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party is expected to stay in power. The party has won every election for the past 20 years.

In the 2013 election, the opposition¹ Cambodian National Rescue Party (or CNRP) disputed the results. It accused the ruling party of fraud and refused to enter parliament to claim its 55 seats.

The boycott² set off protests against the government that resulted in violent attacks on demonstrators by security forces. The protests ended in July 2014 when the opposition party met with government officials and agreed to enter parliament.

Since then, the government has put intense pressure on the opposition. Its leader Sam Rainsy was accused of insulting the government and lost his parliamentary right. He is barred from returning to Cambodia or running in elections.

In February 2017, Rainsy gave leadership of the opposition party to Kem Sokha. Seven months later, Kem was arrested and accused of planning a U.S.-backed revolution in Cambodia.

While 20 parties are expected to run in Sunday's election, the CNRP was seen as the only serious threat to Hun Sen's party and leadership.

The United Nations has called the election “flawed” because of the government’s actions against the CNRP and its leaders. The United States and the European Union have withdrawn³ financial support for the election.

The Cambodian government has also pressured independent media in the past year. The Cambodia Daily newspaper announced in September that it would go out of business after getting a $6.3 million tax bill. The newspaper's publishers said the tax bill was driven by politics.

The pressure has also affected⁴ radio stations, including the Phnom Penh office of Radio Free Asia, which also closed in September. Two journalists who worked for Radio Free Asia were arrested and accused of spying.

Cambodia's government said about 220 election observers from 52 countries will watch for problems with Sunday's vote. But critics say many of the observer groups are linked to the ruling party.

On Wednesday, Cambodia's armed forces made a show of power with anti-riot equipment and assault rifles. Cambodian forces had used such equipment in an attack on anti-government protesters in January 2014.

The Phnom Penh police chief told Reuters that security forces will be stationed across the capital city to keep order during Sunday's vote. He said police will stop any protests or anyone urging others not to vote.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

fraud – n. the crime of using dishonest methods to take something valuable from another person

flaw – n. a mistake or imperfection

assault - n. a military attack

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

3 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。