Cambodian PM invites exiled ex-opposition leader to swear for inflated turnout allegations
Source: Xinhua   2018-08-06 13:30:30

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Monday invited self-exiled former opposition leader Sam Rainsy to swear for alleging that the ruling party inflated the voter turnout figure for ballot-rigging in a recent election.

Hun Sen said he swore to "die unnaturally" if his Cambodian People's Party (CPP) inflated the turnout figure in the sixth general election on July 29 and called on the former opposition leader to swear via Facebook for his groundless allegations.

"If you dare not to swear, it means you recognize that in the election, more than 82 percent of the eligible voters really turned out to vote," he said in a live-televised speech during a meeting with athletes at the Peace Palace here.

Hun Sen's remarks came after Sam Rainsy, self-exiled former president of the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), posted to his Facebook on Friday, claiming that the turnout in the election was actually less than 50 percent, far lower than the 82 percent announced.

Sam Rainsy has been living in self-imposed exile in France since 2015 to avoid at least eight-year-prison sentence for defamation and incitement cases.

Twenty political parties contested in the July 29 election.

The National Election Committee (NEC)'s preliminary results indicated that the CPP won the election, receiving 4.87 million votes, or 76.78 percent, of the total valid votes.

According to the calculation table by the CPP based on the NEC's results, the CPP won all 125 seats in the parliament.

With the landslide victory, Hun Sen, who has been in power for 33 years, will continue to lead the government for another five years.

Editor: xuxin
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Cambodian PM invites exiled ex-opposition leader to swear for inflated turnout allegations

Source: Xinhua 2018-08-06 13:30:30
[Editor: huaxia]

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Monday invited self-exiled former opposition leader Sam Rainsy to swear for alleging that the ruling party inflated the voter turnout figure for ballot-rigging in a recent election.

Hun Sen said he swore to "die unnaturally" if his Cambodian People's Party (CPP) inflated the turnout figure in the sixth general election on July 29 and called on the former opposition leader to swear via Facebook for his groundless allegations.

"If you dare not to swear, it means you recognize that in the election, more than 82 percent of the eligible voters really turned out to vote," he said in a live-televised speech during a meeting with athletes at the Peace Palace here.

Hun Sen's remarks came after Sam Rainsy, self-exiled former president of the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), posted to his Facebook on Friday, claiming that the turnout in the election was actually less than 50 percent, far lower than the 82 percent announced.

Sam Rainsy has been living in self-imposed exile in France since 2015 to avoid at least eight-year-prison sentence for defamation and incitement cases.

Twenty political parties contested in the July 29 election.

The National Election Committee (NEC)'s preliminary results indicated that the CPP won the election, receiving 4.87 million votes, or 76.78 percent, of the total valid votes.

According to the calculation table by the CPP based on the NEC's results, the CPP won all 125 seats in the parliament.

With the landslide victory, Hun Sen, who has been in power for 33 years, will continue to lead the government for another five years.

[Editor: huaxia]
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