PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party has claimed victory in Sunday's election after soundly defeating opposition efforts to unseat him. Meanwhile, high-level diplomatic talks with Thailand regarding a flaring border dispute got under way. As final vote counting continued, the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) seemed assured of winning 90 seats in the 123-seat parliament, easily surpassing the minimum 50-percent-plus-one-seat required to govern outright, while the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) was expecting to win at least 30 seats. The balance would be split between the Human Rights Party (HRP) and the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), while the royalist Funcinpec party performed abysmally and returns to the National Election Committee (NEC) show it may not even win a single seat.
Ruling Party Claims Victory in Cambodian Election as Preah Vihear Talks Begin
