Cambodia’s ruling party claimed a landslide win in Sunday’s one-horse election, an expected outcome after the main opposition was banned, paving the way for its leader Hun Sen to prolong his 33 years in power. Hun Sen, who came to power in 1985 in a country still plagued by civil war, has cracked down on dissent in the run-up to the poll, pressuring civil society, independent media and his political opponents. CPP spokesman Sok Eysan said his party won an estimated 100 out of 125 parliamentary seats. “The CPP won 80 per cent of all the votes and we estimate we will win not less than 100 seats,” Sok Eysan said.
The National Election Commission said voter turnout was 82 per cent, surpassing the final figure in 2013 of roughly 69 per cent.
The 65-year-old prime minister, a one-time defector from the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, has pointed to stability and growth as the fruits of his rule – a message that resonates with his base.
“Compatriots have chosen the democratic path and used your rights,” Hun Sen said on his official Facebook page in an apparent swipe at the opposition, which called for a boycott.
