Cambodia's ruling party claims landslide victory in Senate polls

Win sets stage for ex-Premier Hun Sen to officially return to politics after he stepped down last year. (Photo/AP)

Cambodia's ruling party has claimed a sweeping victory in the Senate election, winning 50 out of 58 seats up for grabs, a party spokesperson said.

The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) spokesperson Sok Eysan, told reporters on Sunday that his party has won 50 of the 58 seats, or more than 80 percent of the total votes.

"This is another great success for the CPP after we won a landslide victory in the general election in July 2023," he said.

The upper house election for the fifth legislative term has also set the stage for former Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen to officially return to politics after he stepped down last year.

Eysan confirmed that Hun Sen, the head of CCP, will take over as the president of the Senate after the election, giving him the role of acting head of state when the king is overseas.

Hun Sen

Former Khmer Rouge "guerrilla" Hun Sen, 72, has led Cambodia for 38 years. He handed the premiership to his oldest son Hun Manet after the CCP won the parliamentary elections in July last year.

The National Electoral Committee is likely to take a few weeks to publish official results.

Apart from the CCP, the royalist FUNCINPEC party and two small opposition parties participated in the polls.

Of the 62-seat Senate, 58 seats are voted on by 125 MPs and more than 11,000 local administrators, while two senators, each, are appointed by King Norodom Sihamoni, and the lower house or the National Assembly.

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Source: TRT