Votes Flow Strongly To Hun Sen And Party
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday July 29, 2008
THE Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, took nearly 60 per cent of the vote in weekend elections, according to early returns, but observers said they could not yet declare the election free and fair.
Initial returns from 18 of the nation's 24 provinces showed the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) had won 58.3 per cent of 3.2 million votes counted so far. The main opposition Sam Rainsy Party took nearly 22 per cent per cent of the ballots counted by midday yesterday, the National Election Committee said. The rest of the votes were divided among a slate of smaller parties. Election authorities did not release results by constituency, and gave no estimate of turnout or of how many seats each party had won in parliament. But a CPP spokesman, Khieu Kanharith, who claimed victory for the party just hours after polls closed on Sunday, said the latest tally by their supporters showed they would scoop 90 of the 123 seats in parliament. The Sam Rainsy Party was tipped to win 26 seats, he said. The Sam Rainsy Party claimed at least 60,000 people in Phnom Penh alone were unable to vote because their names were on the wrong registration list or had been wiped from the electoral roll altogether. The party is calling for fresh elections in the capital.
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald
