Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen (Front) waves to supporters during a massive rally of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) in Phnom Penh July 27, 2018. Samdech Techo Hun Sen, president of the CPP, led the rally on Friday to mark the end of a three-week campaign for the July 29 general elections. (Xinhua/Sovannara)
PHNOM PENH, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), led a party's massive rally on Friday to mark the end of a three-week campaign for the July 29 general election.
Some 250,000 CPP supporters attended the rally held at the Diamond Island in capital Phnom Penh before marching through streets across the city.
Speaking before a sea of supporters, Hun Sen said the CPP is the only party that has enough capacity to govern Cambodia and to maintain the country's peace and development, and the party has ruled the country for 39 years.
"I'd like to send a message to the more than five million members of the Cambodian People's Party that our party plays a very important role in building and defending the motherland, especially in maintaining peace and development," he said.
"We all have to continue to win the election for our own fate," he added.
The prime minister said the CPP would pay "at any cost" to maintain the country's hard-earned peace, not allowing any foreign power or group to destroy it.
Meanwhile, Hun Sen called for all eligible voters to cast their ballots, saying that people who vote are the supporters of democracy, and those who do not vote following the appeal of the former opposition party group are the destroyers of democracy.
He predicted that a majority of the eligible voters will cast their ballots on Sunday.
On the closing day of the election campaign, other parties also gathered in other parts of the city.
The Funcinpec Party, led by Prince Norodom Ranariddh, held a rally with about 1,500 supporters, according to the National Election Committee (NEC). The prince was still unable to join the campaign due to his serious injury in a road accident last month.
The League for Democracy Party, led by former opposition lawmaker Khem Veasna, held a gathering with tens of thousands of activists, as the Khmer National United Party, headed by former deputy prime minister Nhek Bun Chhay, rallied with about 450 supporters.
Twenty political parties will contest for the 125-seat National Assembly in the Sunday's general election, which will see some 8.38 million people cast their ballots, according to the NEC.
Political analysts predict that Hun Sen's party will continue to win a landslide victory in the election.
