Cambodia's ruling party claims landslide win in one-sided election

Hun Manet, son of Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, speaks during the final Cambodian People's Party (CPP) election campaign for the upcoming general election in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 21, 2023. REUTERS/Cindy Liu

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) -The party of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen declared a landslide victory in a general election on Sunday, a vote that critics widely dismissed as a sham aimed at cementing the party's rule before an expected transfer of power to his eldest son.

The contest was effectively a one-horse race, with 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.