TEMPO.CO, Phnom Penh - Cambodian Prime Minister will resume his post after his party, the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), dominated the votes during the elections last Sunday. However, he is currently facing his biggest political setback in two decades as country’s opposition rejected the election results. The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) accused the election of being tainted, including the loss of 1.2 million votes.
"There were 1.2 million to 1.3 million people whose names were missing and could not vote. They deleted our rights to vote, how could we recognize this election?" said Sam Rainsy, leader of the opposition, as reported by Reuters.
The government announced late on Sunday that Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) had won 68 seats in the 123-seat parliament to the opposition's 55, a loss of 22 seats for the ruling party.
Although the ruling party won over half of the votes, Sam Rainsy claims a major manipulation occurred during the elections. He demands an investigation committee set up with representatives from political parties, the United Nations, the election authority and non-governmental organizations.
This election marked the 60-year-old Hun Sen's worst election result since the war-torn country returned to full democracy in 1998, although the CPP retained a governing majority to enable the prime minister to extend his 28-year rule.
REUTERS | NATALIA SANTI
