A senate comprising solely of ruling Cambodian People’s Party lawmakers yesterday unanimously approved the $3.4 billion draft budget and legislation creating three new government ministries.

The laws passed the National Assembly on November 11 with all 55 opposition party lawmakers absent and now simply needs to be rubber-stamped by the King to come into effect.

Forty CPP senators attended yesterday’s vote, which approved the creation of the new Ministry of Public Function and split the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy into the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts.

“A total of 40 senators unanimously approved all the draft laws without any revisions,” Senate secretary-general Oum Sarith said in a statement.

Eleven Sam Rainsy Party senators said in a statement issued before yesterday’s session that they would boycott the session as it was undemocratic.