Cambodia’s longtime ruling party on Monday lauded its landslide victory in weekend elections as a clear mandate for the next five years. The United States said the party’s stifling of the opposition meant the vote could not be considered free or fair and that Washington was taking punitive measures.
RELATED
- U.S. says Cambodia vote ‘neither free nor fair,’ unveils sanctions
- US Announces Visa Bans, Aid ‘Pause’ After Flawed Cambodian Election
Autocratic leader Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party won 120 of 125 available seats in Sunday’s elections, according to preliminary results.
The 70-year-old, who has been in power for 38 years, has said he plans to hand the prime minister’s job off to his oldest son, 45-year-old Hun Manet, who is Cambodia’s army chief and won his first parliamentary seat on Sunday.
