With little threat from opposition, Cambodian ruling party heads towards political transition

PHNOM PENH - Cambodia goes to the polls on Sunday in what is widely regarded as

a one-sided election.

With the main opposition Candlelight Party disqualified, there is little to stop the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) from sweeping aside 17 other challengers to win all 125 National Assembly seats as it did in the last general election.

The bigger question is when long-time prime minister Hun Sen will pass the mantle to his 45-year-old son Hun Manet. The United States-educated four-star general was in 2021 anointed the CPP’s future prime minister candidate.