This post is for Cambodian Elections 2013

Last Sunday, Cambodia went to the polls. National elections only happen once every five years. This one was big. This one is still not resolved.

Cambodia has a King but he is only a figurehead. The real power rests with the Prime Minister. The current prime minster has been in power almost 30 years. He is currently the seventh longest sitting head of state (who is not a monarch). The current Prime Minister has stated he will be Prime Minister until his mid-70s. Currently, he's 60.

Cambodia has been a functionally a one-party system since 1993. This party is known as the Cambodian People's Party or CPP. For a brief time, a royalist party rose to prominence and there was a power-sharing deal, but this lasted for a year before a violent power struggle returned the country to a single-party/leader system. The current party receives heat for human rights and corruption abuses. The opposition parties never succeeded at amassing momentum or providing a strong alternative voice. It's an uphill battle for them to put a few people in parliament.

This election, there was plenty of drama, with both parties suggesting a return to civil war if they didn't win. The opposition parties merged into one single opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party, known as the CNRP. The had a rocky start but they were powered forward by the return of the exiled opposition leader San Rainsy. Rainsy is a darling for his vocal speech against the current system. While a conflicted man, he is the face of the opposition. His return just days before the election (he was granted a royal pardon for supposedly politically motivated crimes), propelled thousands of people into the streets and was followed up by energetic rallies and thousands of supporters. It was the most momentum the opposition has seen in it's history.

Formal campaigning may only occur for one month. The month was fever pitch and only grew in intensity. Both parties had supporters out on motos by the hundreds in t-shirts and flags chanting their slogans. There were billboards and stickers over a meter long on cars. The CPP has vastly more resources, renting flat-bed trucks with live music driving around town. They also set up concerts at markets, and decorated their district offices like it was Christmas. The CPP controls most of the media, but the CNRP controlled social media in one of the most fascinating sociological phenomenons of the election.

Last weekend you could taste the passion in the air, sort of like a football match where it could blow at any moment. Thankfully, it did not. People went back to their home provinces and voted, emptying out the city. With one minor situation, the election occurred peacefully.

However, the CNRP did extremely well! They garnered 55 parliamentary seats (up from 22) to the CPP's 68. Now people are worried. Investigations are being demanded. The outcome is uncertain. The lesson seems to be that life isn't fair. We can only wait and see.