Cambodians vote in local elections

Cambodians headed to the polls Sunday in local elections that are their first chance to vote since the ruling party of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen swept a 2018 general election.

Prime Minister Hun Sen and his wife cast their ballots on Sunday morning in Kandal province near the capital, Phnom Penh. His party is the only one to field candidates nationwide in all 1,652 communes.

Its only serious rival, the Candlelight Party, has candidates in 1,632 communes, and the royalist FUNCINPEC Party has challengers in 688 communes.

There are a total of 82,786 candidates from 17 political parties with 9.2 million registered voters. The local elections are held a year ahead of the general election, and are regarded as a test of the parties' strength.