DW News published this video item, entitled “Cambodia is set to hold elections, a litmus test for the state of democracy | DW News” – below is their description.
Cambodians are set to head to the polls early next month for local elections. The polls are being seen as a litmus test for the state of democracy in a country where the main opposition is banned and the Prime Minister has held power for 37 years. Hun Sen is one of the longest serving heads of state in the world.
On his watch, the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party or CNRP was outlawed in 2017, just after local elections. He’s governed essentially unopposed since then, while former opposition members have been targeted by the courts.
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In This Story: Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is 181,035 square kilometres (69,898 square miles) in area, bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest.
The sovereign state of Cambodia has a population of over 15 million. Buddhism is enshrined in the constitution as the official state religion, and is practised by more than 97% of the population. Cambodia’s minority groups include Vietnamese, Chinese, Chams and 30 hill tribes.
The capital and largest city is Phnom Penh. The kingdom is an elective constitutional monarchy with a monarch chosen by the Royal Council of the Throne as head of state. The head of government is the Prime Minister.
Cambodia gained independence from France in 1953. The United Nations designates Cambodia as a least developed country.