PHNOM PENH, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen swept 1,156 of the country's 1,646 commune chief seats in the fourth commune elections on June 4, according to the official results released by the National Election Committee (NEC) on Sunday.
The main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), led by Kem Sokha, earned 489 commune chief seats and the Khmer National United Party received one commune chief seat, the results showed.
Held every five years, the elections were to elect 1,646 commune chiefs and 9,926 commune councilors for the country's 1,646 communes. Twelve political parties contested in the elections.
For the commune councilor seats, the CPP received 5,347, the CNRP got 4,518, the royalist Funcinpec Party earned 28, the Khmer National United Party got 23, the Grassroots Democracy Party gained five, the League for Democracy Party earned four, and the Beehive Social Democracy Party got one, said the results.
According to the results, the CPP received 3,540,056 votes, or 50.76 percent of the total votes in the June 4 commune elections, and the CNRP got 3,056,824 votes, or 43.83 percent.
The commune polls are seen as a test for the popularity of political parties ahead of the national elections in July 2018.
NEC's president Sik Bun Hok said in his speech broadcast on the state-run National Television of Cambodia (TVK) on Sunday that the commune elections were "conducted smoothly and successfully" and "acceptable to all relevant parties."
