Cambodian ruling party scores big win in local elections

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s election agency says the ruling party of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen easily topped the field as expected in nationwide local polls, Official final returns from Sunday’s polls are due to be released on June 26. But a statement released by the National Election Committee says Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party won 9,338 of the 11,622 commune council seats that were contested. It said turnout was 80.19% of the country’s 9.2 million registered voters  The ruling party’s only serious competition and political rival, the Candlelight Party, won 2,119 council seats. It said the polls were neither free nor fair.