PHNOM PENH: Cambodian leader Hun Sen has swept all seats in parliament after holding an election with no opposition, as the country settles into one-party rule and a government that could face questions of legitimacy on the world stage.

The strongman has been in power for 33 years but the vote late last month was widely decried as a sham after a crackdown on the rival Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which was dissolved by the Supreme Court in November.

A spokesman for the National Election Committee told AFP on Wednesday as official results were released that the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) won all 125 seats up for grabs and took nearly 77 per cent of the vote. In a post on his Facebook page later Wednesday Hun Sen said the election was “free, fair and just”.

Cambodia’s new government will be formed next month but problems of credibility could dog the regime as experts believe Hun Sen will try to bolster popular support at home. “It’s like pushing a cart uphill,” said independent political analyst Meas Ny. “From now on the new government will be under attack and defending itself.”

The results were in line with preliminary tallies and Hun Sen said in a speech earlier in the day that he would take suggestions from parties who contested the election on ideas to “build the country”. Nineteen other political parties took part in the sixth national vote since UN-backed polls in 1993 but many are new or obscure and posed no challenge. The dissolved opposition is planning on ramping up efforts with governments abroad to put more pressure on Hun Sen.

The CPP pointed to 83 per cent voter turnout as evidence that a boycott by the opposition failed, but allegations of voter intimidation and some 600,000 spoiled ballots undermined the claims.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2018