CNN —The party of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen declared a landslide victory in a general election on Sunday, a vote that critics widely dismissed as a sham aimed at cementing the party’s rule before an expected transfer of power to his eldest son.
“We’ve won in a landslide … but we can’t calculate the number of seats yet,” said CPP spokesperson Sok Eysan.
Self-styled strongman Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for 38 years, had brushed off all Western concern about the election’s credibility, determined to prevent any obstacle in his carefully calibrated transition to his anointed successor and eldest son, Hun Manet.
He needed to win a National Assembly seat to become prime minister, which was likely.
Hun Sen said the turnout - the second highest in three decades - proved calls by his mostly overseas-based rivals to undermine the election with protest ballots had failed.
Persons:
Hun Sen, Hun, “ We’ve, ”, Sok Eysan, Hun Manet, “
Organizations:
CNN, Cambodian, Cambodian People’s Party, National Assembly
Locations:
Cambodia