Cambodian PM's party scores Senate clean sweep

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The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen won a sweeping victory in a Senate election on Sunday, an official said, citing preliminary results.

National Election Committee (NEC) member and spokesman Dim Sovannarom told Xinhua that according to the results, the CPP received about 11,197 (or 95.9 percent) of the total 11,670 votes.

He said the official results will be announced on March 3 if there is no complaint from any political parties.

CPP spokesman Sok Eysan said with the results, it was almost clear that the party will win all 58 Senate seats at stake.

"This is another huge success for the CPP and we are strongly confident that the CPP will continue to win in the national election on July 29," he told Xinhua.

A commune counselor casts his ballot during a Senate election in Takhmao, Kandal province, Cambodia, February 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

The Senate election, held every six years, is a non-general election because ordinary citizens do not take part in the electoral process.

According to the NEC, 11,670, or 99.7 percent, of the 11,695 eligible voters (123 members of parliament and 11,572 commune councilors) voted in Sunday's election at 33 polling stations across the country.

Founded in 1999, the Senate has 62 seats, but the vote was held for 58 seats only, as two senators had been appointed by King Norodom Sihamoni and two others will be appointed by the National Assembly, or the lower house.

Four political parties took part in Sunday's election. They are the CPP, the Funcinpec Party of Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the Cambodian Youth Party, and the Khmer National United Party.

Commune counselors attend a Senate election in Takhmao, Kandal province, Cambodia February 25, 2018. /VCG Photo‍

The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which was the country's opposition party, was dissolved by the Supreme Court on Nov. 16 last year after its leader Kem Sokha was arrested on Sept. 3 and charged with treason for allegedly conspiring with a foreign power in an attempt to overthrow the government.

Following the dissolution, 55 CNRP members of parliament and 5,007 commune councilors were ousted from their seats, and the seats were reallocated by the NEC to other political parties.

The CPP and the Funcinpec Party received most of the seats. The CPP currently holds 79 parliamentary seats, or 64 percent of the 123-seat National Assembly and 11,051 commune seats, or 95 percent of the 11,572 commune seats, while the Funcinpec Party possesses 41 parliamentary seats and 239 commune seats.

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency