The incumbent Cambodia People's Party (CPP) secured a dominant electoral victory, paving the way for dynastic rule that will likely bring political stability at the cost of further isolation from the West. But the country's close ties with China will absorb the economic fallout from any new EU and U.S. sanctions. The roughly 8.1 million Cambodians who voted in their country's July 23 election awarded the CPP 120 of the 125 seats in the National Assembly (with the remaining five seats going to the royalist Funcinpec party). The ruling CPP ran nearly unopposed thanks to its years-long crackdown on political opposition and independent media, which has effectively sidelined all credible challengers. The election outcome means that Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled over the country since 1986, is assured another five-year term. But Hun plans to step down in the coming weeks and let his eldest son, Gen. Hun...
