Opposition party loses bid to overturn ban

Cambodia's main opposition party yesterday lost a bid to overturn its ban from the upcoming elections, paving the way for long-serving leader Hun Sen to run a one-horse race. Last week, the National Election Committee (NEC) refused to register the Candlelight Party -- the chief challenger to Hun Sen -- for the July polls after it failed to submit certain documents. The Constitutional Council said in a statement it had rejected the appeal against NEC's ruling. "We are so regretful... Our party was rejected (from the polls), we are so disappointed," Candlelight Party (CP) spokesman Kimsour Phirith told AFP. He said CP had hoped to take part in the elections "to restore the base of democracy in our country".