Here’s a rundown of the most notable election-related information, events and public statements, collected from the week of June 28 to July 5, 2023.
July 5: In a Telegram voice message posted to his channel, Hun Sen claimed a group of people “disguising themselves as CPP leaders” were telling people to spoil their ballots. Many cast invalid ballots in the 2018 election after the dissolution of the CNRP. Hun Sen called on the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to investigate those posting about ballot-spoiling.
July 4: After the Meta oversight board recommended Hun Sen’s suspension from Facebook and he deleted his page, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that all members of the oversight board — independent experts located around the world who issue content decisions for Meta — were barred from entering Cambodia.
July 3: Human Rights Watch detailed findings from a review of Phnom Penh vote count documents from the 2022 commune elections, claiming that election tampering and vote fraud may have occurred and that the alleged problems “raise concerns” for the upcoming 2023 election. Meanwhile, Cambodia’s Constitutional Council approved the amendments to the election law and claimed that they did not violate citizens’ rights or Cambodia’s constitution.
July 1: The first day of national election campaigning began with a CPP rally on Phnom Penh’s Koh Pich, where Hun Sen promised the CPP would continue promoting “a multiparty liberal democratic political system in a parliamentary manner to be stable forever.” He also laid out six priorities, including expanding health care coverage, increasing social assistance and scholarships, and maintaining price stability for crops.
June 30: Hun Sen started the day by threatening to block Facebook, setting off a wave of panic across the country. Late that night, he posted a nine-minute Telegram voice note saying he was not “foolish” enough to follow through. Minutes later, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications said in a press release that it would immediately require Meta to “stop all activities such as company representation, communication with the Royal Government and private sector partnerships in Cambodia.”
June 29: The oversight board for Meta, which owns Facebook, recommended that Hun Sen be suspended from Facebook and Instagram for six months after a livestreamed speech in January in which he threatened to “beat up” opponents with a “bat.” Within hours, the prime minister said he had deleted his Facebook and asked the platform to “remove his name,” but did not reference the possible suspension.
June 28: Hun Sen appeared to preempt a decision from Meta’s oversight board recommending that he be suspended from Facebook for six months, saying on Telegram he would stop livestreaming on Facebook and that he had created a TikTok to connect with youth. Over the next week, arms of the ruling party would campaign to get the PM more followers, encouraging telecom companies and universities to push his accounts on their employees and students.