Cambodia ruling party sweeps Senate vote in absence of opposition

PHNOM PENH, Feb 25 (AFP): Cambodia's ruling party swept controversial Senate elections on Sunday, early results suggest, in a vote derided as a "farce" by critics as it proceeded without a viable opposition.

Strongman Premier Hun Sen has overseen a crackdown on the press, civil society and the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which was disbanded following a court ruling last November not long after its leader was arrested on treason charges.

The Senate vote arouses little interest in Cambodia because the upper house is seen as a rubber-stamp body and candidates are elected by other officials rather than the public, but the result is a sign of things to come in the general election set for July.

Preliminary results released by the National Election Committee late Sunday showed that Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) received around 11,200 votes, which should give it enough to win the seats up for grabs.