Cambodia election: Hun Sen’s ruling party claims victory, says son Hun Manet wins seat
- The prime minister’s Cambodian People’s Party is likely to retain all 125 seats in the National Assembly, in an election dismissed by many as a sham
- Party also says Hun Sen’s son and anointed successor Hun Manet has won a seat, making him eligible to become premier if chosen by the house
“We’ve won in a landslide … but we can’t calculate the number of seats yet,” said Sok Eysan, spokesperson for the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), which ran virtually unopposed.
The party also said it was “very clear” the son and anointed successor of the prime minister has won a seat in the National Assembly, a step that would make him eligible to become premier if chosen by the house.
On Thursday Hun Sen indicated that Western-educated military general Hun Manet, a list MP for the CPP, could take over next month if he was eligible. CPP spokesperson Sok Eysan said of Hun Manet: “It’s very clear he has got elected.”
Hun Sen said a turnout of 84 per cent was evidence that a campaign by his “extremist” opposition to undermine the vote had failed.
Cambodians were voting in an election that saw all meaningful opposition banned and was certain to prolong the CPP’s dominance of politics, clearing the path for a historic leadership transition and the end of the reign of one of the world’s longest-serving prime ministers.
