Young voters remain hopeful in Cambodia

A corrupt and iron-fisted government can shatter the hopes of citizens, but a new election report indicates that Cambodia’s youths are not about to give up just yet. Even Mardi Seng, Treasurer of the Candle Light Party, currently the main opposition party in Cambodia, was moved to comment, “It’s very interesting to find that people, especially young people, are actually looking forward to participate in this democratic process through the election.”

The report, “Cambodian Commune and National Elections: Insights and Lessons,” was done by the independent political think tank Future Forum for CALD. It was launched via Zoom on 2 June, just in time for Cambodia’s 5 June commune elections. At the event, CALD Executive Director Celito Arlegue explained that the Council wanted an analysis of the issues and concerns in Cambodia. It also wanted to know the perspectives and sentiments of Cambodian voters, who are predominantly young. Cambodia, after all, has the fourth largest youth population in Southeast Asia. According to the UN Development Programme, 65 percent of the country’s 16.8 million people are under the age of 30.

The 5 June elections were being seen as a litmus test for both the ruling party and the disbanded

Cambodia National Rescue Party, which had fractured into several smaller parties that were competing in 2022 commune polls. (These political parties are also featured in the report.)

Experts have said that Cambodia’s 2022 electoral process was an improvement over the 2018 elections. The participation and relatively strong presence of the Candle Light Party in the lead-up to the polls, for instance, was perceived as a positive development. At the time of the report’s launch, it was still unclear if the upcoming elections would meet the minimum standards for free and fair polls set out by the Committee for Free and Fair Elections (COMFREL). Overall, however, the view was that the outcome would serve as a “baseline” of voting behavior for the National Elections in 2023.

Discussing some of the findings of the report, Kathrin Reed of Future Forum said that “several priorities (were identified) for national policy in the upcoming elections. These include COVID-19 response, job creation, social protection for the poor and elderly, youth employment, improving access to public services and agricultural markets, strengthening law enforcement, promoting technology, eradicating corruption, as well as fostering social justice. ”

“Voters are looking at what matters to them in their day-to-day (lives),” said Future Forum Research Director Michael Renfew. “It’s not just party politics/personality politics, but rather how elections… can support and sustain development.”

By laying out the current challenges and opportunities within Cambodia’s 2022 election cycle, with a particular focus on the views of young, educated voters, the report would no doubt be useful for political, academic, and civil-society stakeholders interested in knowing how young people view national and local issues. Vanessa Steinmetz, FNF Regional Project Coordinator said in her closing remarks at the launch that “to hear about the hopes of the youth in Cambodia, and to also hear about how [the political opposition] is fighting to expand democracy spaces and possibly open the door for a brighter future, is really inspiring.”