We will have a guided, arranged election. Some, however, believe that a truly free and fair campaign would disappoint Hun Sen. Discreet surveys conducted by his own party indicate that Hun Sen will not win anything like a majority. The U.N. mission in Cambodia, whatever its faults, did succeed in inculcating a reasonable understanding of what democracy means. And most believe that Hun Sen's version does not come close to the definition. Hun Sen has shown little tolerance for dissent, or criticism.
Opposition parties operate in fear and, lately, in exile.
In March a grenade exploded, and killed at least 16, at a rally led by opposition politician Sam Rainsy. He left the country. There are no independent, vernacular newspapers in Cambodia, and many of those that supported the royalist party closed down after the coup. The day after Sihanouk's return, a special representative of the U.N. secretary general arrived in Phnom Penh to complete a human rights report. It is expected to be bleak.