PHNOM PENH, June 4 (Xinhua): Political parties in Cambodia on Friday (June 3) concluded a two-week campaign for Sunday's commune elections, without any remarkable incidents, a National Election Committee (NEC) member said.
Seventeen parties are contesting in the elections on Sunday, with the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and the opposition Candlelight Party being the major contestants.
"Neither serious irregularities nor acts of violence had happened during the campaign," NEC member Dim Sovannarom said in a press conference to conclude the campaign.
"Security, safety and public order had been well secured for all campaigning political parties," he added.
In a voice message released to the compatriots on Friday, Hun Sen said he was pleased to see the campaign ended smoothly without any violence.
He said the participation of more than a dozen of political parties in the polls clearly reflected "the success of the multi-party liberal democratic process in Cambodia" and he hoped that all parties would accept the upcoming election results.
The commune elections are to choose commune chiefs and councilors for the Southeast Asian country's 1,652 communes, the NEC said, adding that approximately 9.2 million eligible voters, or 87.9 percent of the total population of 18 years old and above, are expected to cast their ballots.
Held once every five years, the polls are seen as a test for the popularity of political parties ahead of the general elections in 2023.
In the last commune elections in June 2017, the ruling CPP won 1,156 communes out of the then-1,646 communes. - Xinhua
