Cambodia - Opposition leaders confident of victory

(26 Jul 1998) T/I: 10:07:32


Millions of Cambodians have turned out to vote on Sunday (26/7) in a vote that will determine the country's role in Asian affairs. Most diplomats and analysts predict a coalition of some sort between the major parties -- Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP), the royalist FUNCINPEC party led by Prince Norodom Ranariddh and the self-named party of leading opposition figure Sam Rainsy. In the central province of Kampong Cham where Prince Ranariddh and Sam Rainsy are running, hundred of people waited to cast their ballots. Sam Rainsy said he was "hopeful" as he arrived to vote in a local school.

SHOWS:

Kompong Cham + Phnom Penh, 26/7

Kompong Cham:
entrance to polling station;
queue outside polling station
Sam Rainsy inside walks to voting booth;
leaves booth and folds ballot before casting it
cutaway media
Rainsy puts ballot in box;
finger inked;
leaves
SOT from Rainsy: "If there is a general consensus that the election was a fraud and cannot be accepted, it's not credible than I definitely would reject the results. But if there is consensus that it is credible, honest on the whole, I would accept it."
Prince Norodom Ranariddh in polling station;
Ranariddh walks from voting booth to ballot box;
drops ballot into box;
finger inked;
shows off his inked finger
SOT from Ranariddh: "I feel a sentiment of real happiness for democracy in this country, for the people of Cambodia but of course it's too premature to make any final conclusion
cutaway Ranariddh's wife
SOT from Ranariddh: "I have to say that the time when the people are going massively like this to vote it is for to change and I think that Funcinpec will definitely win."
Ranariddh walks to his car;
car away

Phnom Penh:
National Election Committee (NEC) spokesman Samraing Kamsan addressing news conference on how elections are going
SOT from Kamsan in Khmer: "The general situation is good throughout Cambodia."
wide of translator beside Kamsan speaking
SOT from Kamsan in Khmer: "So far we have not received any reports of threats."
voters queued outside tent;
voters;
more of voters outside tent

3.40

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...