25-7-2023 (PHNOM PENH) Cambodia’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) has won 120 parliamentary seats, while the royalist Funcinpec Party gained the remaining five seats in Sunday’s general election, according to party spokespersons. The election, held once every five years, saw 18 political parties contesting for the 125-seat National Assembly.
CPP spokesman Sok Eysan said that the party had won 120 seats, or 96% of the National Assembly, receiving 80% of the ballots from 8.21 million voters, as per the National Election Committee’s preliminary results. Meanwhile, the Funcinpec Party of Prince Norodom Chakravuth gained five seats, or 4% in the National Assembly.
Hun Manet, the future Prime Minister candidate for the CPP, thanked voters for their support and vowed to better serve them in the future. The election had a high turnout rate of over 84%. The new five-year-term government will be sworn in on August 29, after the National Assembly convenes for the first time on August 28, said Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, who has been in power since 1985.
Cambodia’s economy has grown at an average annual rate of 7.7% between 1998 and 2019, making it one of the world’s fastest-growing economies under the CPP-led government. The party’s strong leadership, clear vision and development strategy, and human and financial resources have been cited as factors in the party’s success in the election.
