Cambodia's national assembly began its first working session on Wednesday - more than four months after the country went to the polls.

Sam Rainsy's supporters were not elected

The MPs elected Prince Norodom Ranariddh, leader of the royalist Funcinpec party, as president or speaker of the assembly, and two senior members from the governing Cambodian People's Party as deputy presidents.

Further parliamentary appointments will be made on Thursday, with the vote on the new government expected next Monday.

The opening session was largely symbolic, but there were still some surprises.

After months of political deadlock, Cambodia's politicians finally set their differences aside to join together in the first session of the national assembly.

Assembly starts session more than four months after polls

However, seven newly elected MPs, all from the smaller opposition Sam Rainsy Party, were absent.

They'd left Cambodia two months earlier, citing security concerns, and had been unable to return in time for the assembly's first meeting.

The session was largely taken up with voting for key assembly appointments.

The vote should have been a formality, as the country's two main political parties, the CPP and Funcinpec, had already signed a political pact agreeing on a joint political platform and to share out key assembly and ministerial positions.

But the prominent opposition MP, Sam Rainsy, surprised many by naming two nominees from his own party for the deputy positions.

Unsurprisingly, they did not succeed, with MPs voting strictly along party lines.