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Hun Sen`s party claims victory in Cambodia elections
Phnom Penh, July 28: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen`s party today claimed victory in general elections, saying it expects to control about 73 of the 123 seats in the National Assembly.
Phnom Penh, July 28: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's party today claimed victory in general elections, saying it expects to control about 73 of the 123 seats in the National Assembly.
Independent observers monitoring the vote count also indicated that the Cambodian People's Party was on its way to another five-year term, a widely expected result. Official results will be announced Aug. 8.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said that according to its agents monitoring the count, 75 per cent of the votes have been counted from yesterday's elections, and the CPP had achieved a simple majority in the assembly, the powerful lower House of Parliament.
A simple majority would allow the CPP to lead a coalition government, while a two-thirds majority is required to win full control of the government. The CPP has 64 seats in the current Parliament. The elections are being hailed as a further consolidation of Cambodia's fledgling democracy as the country distances itself from a violent past, including the legacy of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979, when an estimated 1.7 million people died.
Cambodians hope that a smooth transition to a new government will also bring stability to the country, one of the poorest in Southeast Asia, and allow international donors to continue supporting its rehabilitation.
Khieu Kanharith, also a senior CPP member, said the Royalist Funcinpec Party was likely to win 26 seats and the opposition Sam Rainsy Party 24 seats. The Funcinpec was CPP's junior coalition partner in the outgoing government.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said that according to its agents monitoring the count, 75 per cent of the votes have been counted from yesterday's elections, and the CPP had achieved a simple majority in the assembly, the powerful lower House of Parliament.
A simple majority would allow the CPP to lead a coalition government, while a two-thirds majority is required to win full control of the government. The CPP has 64 seats in the current Parliament. The elections are being hailed as a further consolidation of Cambodia's fledgling democracy as the country distances itself from a violent past, including the legacy of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979, when an estimated 1.7 million people died.
Cambodians hope that a smooth transition to a new government will also bring stability to the country, one of the poorest in Southeast Asia, and allow international donors to continue supporting its rehabilitation.
Khieu Kanharith, also a senior CPP member, said the Royalist Funcinpec Party was likely to win 26 seats and the opposition Sam Rainsy Party 24 seats. The Funcinpec was CPP's junior coalition partner in the outgoing government.