Having ruled for nearly 40 years, Prime Minister Hun Sen will hand over power to his son later this month after the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) scored an easy victory in the July 23 election.

The CPP won 80% of a total of 8.2 million votes cast, the National Election Committee (NEC) said today, the first official announcement of the results.

About 440,000 ballots – or every one in 18 – were invalidated, the NEC said, adding the election had seen a high turnout of 85%.

According to NEC official Dim Sovannarom, the number of spoiled ballots was less than in the 2018 election, when state institutions had also disbanded an earlier incarnation of the pro-democracy opposition Candlelight party.

Authorities had threatened voters with heavy penalties if they spoiled ballots, boycotted the election, or urged others to do so.

Opposition figures and rights groups say Hun Sen has for years suppressed democratic institutions while cracking down on opponents and critics. The government has rejected such accusations.