The ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) declared a landslide victory in the country’s 7th general election on Sunday. According to the National Election Committee, 8.2 million voters, or 84.58 percent of all eligible voters, showed up at over 23,700 polling stations.

Although another 17 parties were also taking part in the general election, the CPP ran virtually unopposed as the biggest opposition to the ruling party, the Candlelight Party, has already been disqualified from participating in the election due to alleged paperwork issues in May this year. In the months leading up to the election, the CPP utilized its influence in the government and legal institutions to secure its victory by arresting four opposition party officials for purportedly disrupting elections and amending the election law to penalize citizens who boycott the election. Early this year, the leading opposition figure, Kem Sokha, was sentenced to 27 years in prison for treason charges by a Cambodian court. Despite the new legislation, there were a large number of spoiled ballot papers, which is a way that Cambodians express their disapproval of the ruling party and support for the opposition.

The victory is expected to cement the power of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled the country for 38 years. There has been widespread speculation that this election will pave the way for the transition of power from Hun Sen to his eldest son, Hun Manet. In an interview with China’s Phoenix TV on Thursday, Hun Sen said that his son may become the new prime minister in three or four weeks.

In the previous general election in 2018, the CPP used similar tactics to secure a victory, where the main opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party, was dissolved by the Cambodia Supreme Court in November 2017.

Following the result of the general election, the US Embassy in Cambodia issued a press release expressing concerns over the legitimacy of the election and continued support for democracy.