PHNOM PENH, July 24 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of the Cambodian side, a Chinese observer team visited the Southeast Asian country to observe its seventh general election, which was held on Sunday.
Led by Qian Hongshan, vice minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the observer team monitored the electoral process from Thursday to Monday.
They participated in a collective meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, who is also the president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP).
Qian also met with Khuon Sudary, the second vice-president of the Cambodian National Assembly and a member of the CPP's Standing Committee, and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, who is also a member of the CPP's Standing Committee.
During their stay in Cambodia, the team observed political parties' campaign activities, visited polling stations to view the voting and counting process, and attended press conferences and other activities.
A total of 18 political parties contested in Sunday's election, the seventh of its kind since 1993 in Cambodia, which was held to elect the members of parliament for the 125-seat National Assembly.
According to the National Election Committee, some 8.21 million, or 84.58 percent of the 9.71 million eligible voters, cast their ballots at all 23,789 polling stations across the country. ■
