Phnom Penh (AFP) - Cambodians voted Sunday in an election that long-time leader Hun Sen is all but guaranteed to win as he looks to secure his legacy by handing the reins to his eldest son.

The 70-year-old former Khmer Rouge cadre has ruled since 1985 and faces no real contest in this vote, with opposition parties banned, challengers forced to flee and freedom of expression stifled.

His Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) is likely to retain all 125 seats in the lower house, prolonging his grip on power and paving the way for a dynastic succession some critics have compared to North Korean politics.

The only serious opposition party was disqualified on a technicality in the run-up to the polls and it will be a surprise if any of the 17 other small, poorly funded parties win seats.

Hun Sen cast his ballot in the capital Phnom Penh shortly after polling stations opened at 7:00 am (0000 GMT), according to AFP journalists at the scene.

More than 9.7 million people are registered to vote in the seventh election since the United Nations first sponsored polls in 1993, after years of conflict – including the era of the genocidal Khmer Rouge – left the country devastated.

Over the last 30 years whatever hopes the international community might have had for a vibrant multi-party democracy in Cambodia have been flattened by the juggernaut of Hun Sen’s rule.

The veteran PM has begun to look to the future, saying he would hand over to his son, four-star general Hun Manet – possibly even in the coming weeks.

“We have exercised our civil right and responsibility and right… of citizens to vote to choose the party we love to lead the country,” the 45-year-old scion told reporters after casting his ballot.

Many wonder whether Hun Manet, educated in the United States and Britain, might bring change to the country – though Hun Sen has made it clear he intends to keep pulling strings even after his son takes over.

Asked by AFP what he plans to do for Cambodia when he becomes prime minister, Hun Manet replied: “I have no comment on that.”

It was Hun Manet who led the final CPP rally in Phnom Penh on Friday, telling a raucous crowd that it was “victory day” for the country.

Critics would disagree, and rights groups have condemned the election.

On the eve of voting, a 17-strong coalition – including the Asian Network for Free Elections and the International Federation for Human Rights – said the polls were of “profound concern”.

“The upcoming electoral exercise indicates a notable absence of transparency, fairness, and inclusivity in the electoral process,” the coalition said in a statement issued Saturday.

- Parties dissolved -

The only real challenge to the CPP had come from the Candlelight Party (CP). But in May, the country’s electoral body refused to register the party, rendering it ineligible to compete.

The decision came after the CP performed better than expected at last year’s local elections, winning 22 percent of the popular vote.

Internationally, Hun Sen has played off tensions between the United States and China, racking up huge sums in Chinese investment that came with no demands for democratic reforms.

Speaking before the vote, the CP told AFP that the registration decision meant there was no way the election could be either free or fair.

“Everyone knows who will win,” said Rong Chhun, the party’s vice-president.

There was similar despondency among some people voting under heavy police presence at a dusty polling station in Phnom Penh.

“I don’t feel excited or anything because there are no opposition parties left,” Oum Sokum, 51, told AFP.

Ahead of the election, freedom of speech has been heavily stifled, with one of the few remaining independent news outlets, Voice of Democracy, shut down earlier this year.

And last month, Hun Sen ordered election laws changed, banning anyone who fails to vote in the upcoming poll from ever running for office – a move that will affect exiled rivals.

Among those challengers is long-time foe Sam Rainsy, in self-exile in France for almost a decade to avoid criminal convictions he says are politically motivated.

Domestically, opposition leader Kem Sokha languishes under house arrest, after being sentenced to 27 years for treason over an alleged plot with foreigners to topple Hun Sen’s government.

Polls close at 3:00 pm.