Shaping Political Change

Abstract

Cambodia’s national election on 28 July 2013 marked the role of social media in facilitating opposition electoral gain. Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) that has governed the country for more than 30 years and enjoyed a landslide victory in the last election saw it loosening its grip on power. The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), an opposition coalition led by Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha won 55 out of 123 seats in the national assembly, which was a huge gain from the 29 seats they held before the election. The ruling CPP under Prime Minister Hun Sen lost 22 seats, down from 90 to 68 seats, but still retained a majority. This is the first time since 1993 for the CPP to lose that many seats given its tight control over all state apparatus like the military, police, judicial system and the media. CPP could potentially become a minor party if the trend continues. CNRP, which had restricted access to the mainstream media, turned to the social media to drive its campaign. If social media continues to grow at the current speed without government interference, Cambodian politics will soon undergo fundamental political change.