Cambodia's ruling party said it had won a landslide in Sunday's (Jul 29) one-horse election, an expected outcome after the main opposition was banned paving the way for 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 this year's poll, pressuring civil society, independent media and political opponents. That left him with little competition and no serious challengers.
The party of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power since 1985, says it has won a landslide victory in a general election that lacked any serious challengers.
The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) said it had won 80% of the vote, giving it at least 100 of 125 seats. Election staff say turnout was 82.71%.
Critics have called the vote a sham as the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which narrowly lost the last election, has been dissolved.
The US and EU were also among those questioning the credibility of the vote, but the CPP said 19 other parties had stood.
In a statement on his Facebook page, former CNRP leader Sam Rainsy, who is living in exile abroad, said "a victory without a contest is a hollow one".
Official election results are reportedly not expected until mid-August.
On Friday, the government ordered internet service providers in the country to block a number of independent news websites, including Radio Free Asia, Voice of America and Voice of Democracy. English newspaper outlets were among other sites blocked.
As part of a large UN peacekeeping mission, Cambodia held its first multi-party elections in decades in 1993 after years of bloodshed and war.
- Source: News websites
