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Decades-long ruler set to win election in Cambodia
The Independent|July 24, 2023
Landslide expected for Hun Sen as opposition parties barred
- VISHWAM SANKARAN
Decades-long ruler set to win election in Cambodia

Cambodia’s long-time prime minister and Asia’s longest-serving leader Hun Sen is set to win the country’s general election in a landslide victory described as a farce by critics given the effective lack of any opposition.

Cambodians went to the polls yesterday with few choices but to vote for the 70-year-old’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), with even the act of spoiling the ballot outlawed. The only party representing a credible challenge to the CPP was barred from participating in the elections, and over the last week several leading opposition figures were also arrested.

This means Hun Sen is all but certain to consolidate his power over the country of around 16 million people that he has ruled for the last 38 years. A spokesperson for the CPP declared victory shortly after polling stations closed yesterday, seemingly not waiting for a count. “We’ve won in a landslide... but we can’t calculate the number of seats yet,” said Sok Eysan.

This story is from the July 24, 2023 edition of The Independent.

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Decades-long ruler set to win election in Cambodia
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This story is from the July 24, 2023 edition of The Independent.

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