Top Asian News 3:54 a.m. GMT

Cambodia's top opposition party barred from July elections, leaving Hun Sen's party unchallenged

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s top opposition party was barred Thursday from participating in elections set for July after the Constitutional Council refused to overturn a decision not to register the party over a paperwork issue. The Candlelight Party, the sole credible challenger to the governing Cambodian People’s Party in the upcoming polls, lost its appeal because its complaint was deemed unlawful, the council said in a brief statement. The decision is final and cannot be appealed. Cambodian courts are widely considered to be under the influence of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government and his Cambodian People’s Party. The National Election Committee on May 16 had refused to register the Candlelight Party, saying it failed to provide necessary documents.