THE National Election Committee (NEC) has released preliminary results of last month's national election, confirming the overwhelming win by the ruling Cambodian People's Party despite continuing opposition claims of electoral fraud.

Of the more than six million valid ballots cast throughout the Kingdom on July 27, the CPP won 3.49 million (58 percent), while the next largest vote-getter, the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, captured 1.31 million (21.9 percent).

Behind the two frontrunners were the Human Rights Party, which won 397,816 votes (6.6 percent) and the Norodom Ranariddh Party, which received 337,943 (5.6 percent).

Funcinpec, which won the UN-backed elections of May 1993, captured just five percent of the vote, its smallest ever electoral return.

"The CPP welcomes and recognises the preliminary results of the election," said CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap, adding that the presence of political party monitors and international election observers ensured there were no incidences of electoral fraud.

But SRP spokesman Son Chhay maintained his party's criticism of the NEC, accusing it of manipulating voter lists to increase the amount of ballots cast for the CPP.

"The NEC... has not guaranteed the rights of those registered voters who could not cast their votes," Son Chhay said.

Sin Chum Bo, vice president of the NEC, said that political parties will have 72 hours to lodge protests against the results, but added that in the NEC's view the election was free and fair.

"There were some minority irregularities, but overall the election was run well according to the feedback received from local and international election observers," Sin Chum Bo said.