Open lecture with Mark Mun Vong, independent scholar of authoritarianism and democratization

Abstract
Cambodia’s 2013 general election delivered a shocking outcome for the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). The ruling party was challenged by a united opposition force represented by the Cambodian National Rescue Party, whose promise of change called into question its legitimacy and the sustainability of clientelistic politics as the primary mechanism for mobilising votes. Thus, unlike the previous ones when it won by huge margins, the CPP’s victory in 2013 was a bitter one. This talk provides an overview of the stabilisation mechanisms activated in response to the opposition’s rise and the incumbent’s decline, namely social media politicking, youth mobilisation, and status-seeking. These mechanisms reflect the CPP’s ability to adapt to a changing society and world, defined by the widespread use of social media, the growing political significance of the youth population, and rising great power competition. Ten years later, a smooth and peaceful transfer of power from Hun Sen to Hun Manith took place, ushering Cambodia into a new political era. This talk discusses the necessary conditions for the dynastic succession and what we can expect from the new political leadership. 
 

Biography
Mark Mun Vong is an independent scholar of authoritarianism and democratization. He was a research fellow at the Democratizing the Developmental State Hub in the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town and a lecturer in the School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University. Mark’s research examines the political institutions, state-society relations, and international behaviour of authoritarian regimes, with a regional focus on Southeast Asia. His research has appeared in the Journal of Contemporary Asia, Journal of East Asian Studies, and South East Asia Research. He is currently working on a book project on the role of ruling party youth wings in authoritarian stability in Cambodia and Malaysia.

 

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This event is part of the Perspective Asia Lecture Series and is organized in cooperation with the Graduate School in Asian Studies