BBC News
The opposition claims irregularities marred the polls
Cambodia's
opposition party says it narrowly won Sunday's general election,
challenging the ruling party's earlier declaration of victory.
Hours after the poll, PM Hun Sen's ruling party said it won 68 seats in parliament to the opposition's 55.
But opposition leader Sam Rainsy said the result was 63-60 in
his favour, and called for an independent commission to investigate
poll irregularities.
Official poll results are not expected until mid-August.
Hun Sen has been in power in Cambodia for nearly three
decades. The national election commission is widely expected to back his
Cambodian People's Party (CPP), says the BBC's Jonah Fisher in Bangkok.
But the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party says it
does not accept the results. Earlier this week, it cited multiple
irregularities with voter lists.
'Instability'
Sam Rainsy told the BBC that the opposition would not take its
seats in parliament - expected to sit in September - until its win was
recognised, which would prevent a new cabinet being approved.
"We expect the CPP to concede the election to us. The
information we have received from the our activists and party agents
show that we have won 63 seats and they have won 60," he said.
"To move forward without an independent committee is
cheating. We will comply with the conclusions of an independent
committee. There is no other way or else the county will face a period
of instability and uncertainty."
Ouch Borith, Cambodia's secretary of state at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, on Tuesday rejected claims of voting irregularities.
"We have over 10,000 national observers and over 100
international observers who reckoned our election was held in a peaceful
manner without any violence, free and fair," he said.
Both the US and the European Union have expressed concern
over the conduct of the polls and have asked the election commission to
conduct an investigation.
"We are concerned by numerous reported irregularities in the
electoral process," US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on
Monday.
She added that Washington had long highlighted "systematic
flaws such as problems in the voter registry and unequal access to the
media".
The result announced by the CPP represented the worst result for the ruling party in 15 years.
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