PHNOM PENH - The municipal, provincial, town and district council elections for the fourth term kicked off in Cambodia on Sunday, with five political parties taking part in the race, a National Election Committee (NEC) spokesperson said.

"A total of 209 polling stations across the country was open at 7:00 am local time and are due to close at 3:00 pm," Dim Sovannarom, a NEC member and spokesperson, told Xinhua.

Five political parties are standing in the elections, namely the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), the Khmer Will Party, the Nation Power Party, the Funcinpec Party, and the Khmer National United Party, the spokesperson said

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The non-universal elections will be voted by 11,622 sitting commune chiefs and councilors -- typically along party lines -- for 4,200 municipal, provincial, town and district councilors, he said.

The elections are divided into two, Sovannarom said, adding that one election is to elect 559 municipal and provincial councilors, and the other is to decide 3,641 town and district council seats.

Five political parties are standing in the elections, namely the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), the Khmer Will Party, the Nation Power Party, the Funcinpec Party, and the Khmer National United Party, the spokesperson said.

Sovannarom said preliminary results are expected to be announced on Sunday evening, as the official ones will be issued on June 8.

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In the last council elections in May 2019, the CPP swept 4,034, or 98 percent, of the then-4,114 positions across the kingdom.