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Troubled Hun Sen can still smile
PHNOM PENH - His party is reeling from its worst-ever election result. His political opponents have grown bold. His people are protesting on the streets.
So why is Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen smiling?
The long-ruling autocrat emerged beaming from lengthy closed-door meetings this week with his old political foe, Mr Sam Rainsy, who says Mr Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) cheated its way to a narrow victory in the July 28 general election.
He has reason to be cheerful. Although lawmakers from Mr Rainsy's Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) are threatening to boycott the new session of Parliament, due to begin on Monday, until an independent inquiry is held into electoral fraud, the recent political violence has left Mr Hun Sen mostly unscathed.
Thousands of CNRP supporters dispersed on Tuesday after a three-day rally in a park in the capital Phnom Penh, where one man was killed and several injured when police opened fire on the protesters on Sunday night.
His composure after the meetings suggests his renewed confidence in breaking the political deadlock and extending his nearly three decades of rule by another five years, say analysts.
His smiling photo-ops, however, could also hint at changes ahead for Mr Hun Sen. His party officially won the election with 68 seats to the CNRP's 55, a greatly reduced majority that signalled widespread disenchantment with his iron-fisted rule despite rapid economic growth. "Hun Sen and his party must change drastically and fast to be able to remain a relevant political force," said academic Lao Mong Hay.
Mr Hun Sen's cordial talks with the opposition come as a surprise, considering his past ruthlessness with political opponents and his history of antagonism with Mr Rainsy. "He has been quiet, which means he is listening more now," social analyst Kem Ley said. "And he is smiling - that's already a positive sign."
Assuming the CNRP takes its place in the 123-seat National Assembly, or Lower House, the party's effectiveness there depends on what concessions its leaders can wring from Mr Hun Sen.
The party wants reforms to the National Election Committee and is angling for the presidency or deputy presidency of the National Assembly, as well as positions on parliamentary committees long dominated by Mr Hun Sen's loyalists, say analysts.
"Without these concessions, the CNRP will not be able to achieve very much," said Mr Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights.
REUTERS
PHNOM PENH - His party is reeling from its worst-ever election result. His political opponents have grown bold. His people are protesting on the streets.
So why is Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen smiling?
The long-ruling autocrat emerged beaming from lengthy closed-door meetings this week with his old political foe, Mr Sam Rainsy, who says Mr Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) cheated its way to a narrow victory in the July 28 general election.
He has reason to be cheerful. Although lawmakers from Mr Rainsy's Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) are threatening to boycott the new session of Parliament, due to begin on Monday, until an independent inquiry is held into electoral fraud, the recent political violence has left Mr Hun Sen mostly unscathed.
Thousands of CNRP supporters dispersed on Tuesday after a three-day rally in a park in the capital Phnom Penh, where one man was killed and several injured when police opened fire on the protesters on Sunday night.
His composure after the meetings suggests his renewed confidence in breaking the political deadlock and extending his nearly three decades of rule by another five years, say analysts.
His smiling photo-ops, however, could also hint at changes ahead for Mr Hun Sen. His party officially won the election with 68 seats to the CNRP's 55, a greatly reduced majority that signalled widespread disenchantment with his iron-fisted rule despite rapid economic growth. "Hun Sen and his party must change drastically and fast to be able to remain a relevant political force," said academic Lao Mong Hay.
Mr Hun Sen's cordial talks with the opposition come as a surprise, considering his past ruthlessness with political opponents and his history of antagonism with Mr Rainsy. "He has been quiet, which means he is listening more now," social analyst Kem Ley said. "And he is smiling - that's already a positive sign."
Assuming the CNRP takes its place in the 123-seat National Assembly, or Lower House, the party's effectiveness there depends on what concessions its leaders can wring from Mr Hun Sen.
The party wants reforms to the National Election Committee and is angling for the presidency or deputy presidency of the National Assembly, as well as positions on parliamentary committees long dominated by Mr Hun Sen's loyalists, say analysts.
"Without these concessions, the CNRP will not be able to achieve very much," said Mr Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights.
REUTERS
