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Early counting in Cambodian poll shows CPP in lead

Early counting in Cambodia's first local government elections in 30 years is showing a big win for the ruling party.

However South East Asia correspondent Geoff Thompson reports the opposition has made historic inroads.

As expected the party of Prime Minister Hun Sen seems set to win more than half of the 1621 local government positions vied for at yesterday's poll. But at Cambodia's political grass roots, the strong man's rivals have cut an unprecedented share of power away from his rulling party. Hun Sen 's Cambodian People's Party is likely to control 70 communes which make up the capital Phnom Penh. But the remaining six communes will for the first time be controlled by the opposition party of Sam Rainsy. In one early count Sam Rainsy's party is averaging two and a half times the vote of FUNCINPEC, Cambodia's royalist pary lead by Prince Noridom Ranarridh. The death count too is climbing. One election monitor was found tied, stabbed and shot and another Sam Ranjes candidate was also found dead, hanging from his ceiling. The dead toll now stands at 24, still just half the number to lose their lives before 1998's national poll, an election declared free and fair.

4/02/2002 7:13:07 AM | ABC Radio Australia News

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