16/05/23 (Agence Europe) – On Monday 15 May, the European Union in a statement issued by the European External Action Service (EEAS), strongly objected to the Cambodian electoral authority’s decision on the same day to refuse to register the main opposition party ‘Candlelight’ alongside that of leader Hun Sen’s ‘Cambodian People’s Party’ (CPP) for the July 2023 elections, “further depriving Cambodian citizens of the right to choose their representatives”. The electoral authorities took the decision to disqualify this party for not having the required documents. The EU considers this decision to be “another worrying sign of the shrinking space for political parties to participate in the upcoming general elections”. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)