Cambodia holds lopsided election ahead of historic transfer of power

Cambodia holds a one-sided election on Sunday that is certain to prolong the ruling party’s dominance of politics, clearing the path for a historic leadership transition and the end of the reign of one of the world’s longest-serving premiers.
The contest is effectively a one-horse race, with Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), a political behemoth with a vast war chest, facing no viable opponent after a ruthless, years-long crackdown on its rivals.
Former Khmer Rouge guerrilla Hun Sen, 70, has led Cambodia for 38 years and has brushed off Western concern about the election’s credibility, determined to prevent any obstacle in his carefully calibrated transition to anoint his eldest son, Hun Manet, successor.
No timeframe had been given for the handover until Thursday, when Hun Sen signalled his son “could be” prime minister in three or four weeks, depending on “whether Hun Manet will be able to do it or not”.