National, Politics

NEC Announces Official Result: CPP Won 120 Seats, Funcinpec Won Five Seats

5 August 2023 1:25 PM
Khuon Narim

The National Election Committee on Saturday announced an official election in which the ruling Cambodian People’s Party won 120 of 125 National Assembly seats, while Funcinpec received five seats.

Funcinpec won its seats across Kampong Cham, Kampong Thom, Kandal, Phnom Penh and Prey Veng provinces.

The ruling CPP received 6,398,311 votes, around 78% of the 8,214,430 ballots cast. The royalist Funcinpec party earned 716,490 votes about9%, while Khmer National United Party 134,285 votes less than 2%.

The NEC reported an 84.58% voter turnout among the 9,710,655 registered voters, up from the 83.02% reported voter turnout in the 2018 elections, in which the court-dissolved opposition CNRP did not participate.

In this year’s elections, the NEC reported 7,774,276 valid ballots cast and 440,154 invalid ballots or 5.36% of the total. Opposition members protesting the Candlelight Party’s disqualification from the elections had called for spoiling ballots.

NEC spokesperson Hang Puthea, said that NEC has only announced official election results, but seats for each political party and lawmakers will be decided by election at the National Assembly.

“The [NEC] do not involve deciding positions as well as positions of the 10 commissions at the National Assembly because it isn’t the duty of NEC,” he said.

Ruling CPP spokesperson Sok Eysan, said the official election results showed Cambodian citizens still supported the ruling CPP to lead the country for peace and development.

“The figure is the same as the election official result because it has just followed the procedure of the National Election Committee so that those competitors are satisfied,” he said.

Eysan declined to elaborate on whether the ruling CPP would control all 10 commissions in the National Assembly: “Normally the party has prepared [commission list] but wait to see the opening the National Assembly,”

Funcinpec spokesperson Nhoeurn Raden, said that Funcinpec has not yet considered positions in the National Assembly.

“We have not discussed [role in National Assembly] but however we want to see the prince [Norodom Chakravuth] or any elite in receiving position in commissions due to help citizens and national terrest,” he said.

“Even though we have received a minority voice, we will take all people’s opinions and resolve them in the National Assembly,” Raden said.

Funcinpec party released a statement Saturday to accept the result of the election.

“Funcinpec Party would like to thank the Cambodian people for turning out to vote a lot and vote to support Prince Norodom Chakravuth the president of the party with nearly one million votes,” read the statement. “Funcinpec Party accepts the official result announced by NEC.”

Hun Sen said last week he will request to the King Norodom Sihanomi to appoint Hun Manet as prime minster on August 7, while the National Assembly will hold its first session on August 21.

Officially NEC Election Results Breakdown: