Cambodia votes as Hun Sen near-guaranteed election win

His Cambodian People's Party (CPP) is likely to retain all 125 seats in the lower house.

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.

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.

In the days ahead of the polls, capital Phnom Penh was blanketed by huge posters of Hun Sen.

But many are now looking to Hun Manet, educated in the United States and Britain, wondering if a change in leadership might bring change to the country.

"For me, I want to see his work first then I can evaluate," one 73-year-old Cambodian told AFP.

"For now, I cannot evaluate anything at the moment," he added, declining to give his name.

Polls are due to close at 3:00 pm, with early results expected within hours.