Phnom Penh: Prince Sisowath Thomico, former personal secretary and nephew of the
late King Father Norodom Sihanouk, officially joined the newly-formed
opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) on Sunday to contest
in the general election set on July 28.
In the CNRP’s first congress on Sunday, the prince was elected as a
member of the party’s board of directors, the party’s leader- in-exile
Sam Rainsy said via a video conference from Paris.
Speaking to reporters after the congress, the prince said his
participation in the opposition party was his political rights, and he
hoped that he could contribute to helping people and developing the
nation in the future.
The CNRP is a merger between the main opposition Sam Rainsy Party and the Human Rights Party.
The 63-year-old Sam Rainsy, leader of the newly-formed CNRP, fled the
country in late 2009 before Cambodian court sentenced him to 11 years
in jail in absentia for two charges–removing border poles and publishing
a false map of the border with Vietnam and accusing Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong of being a member of the
Democratic Kampuchea, or known as Khmer Rouge.
In November, the National Election Committee removed his name from
the voter list for the July’s election on the grounds that he is a
convicted criminal, meaning that he will be unable to participate in the
upcoming election.
Some countries, particularly the United States, said the convictions
of Sam Rainsy were politically motivated and urged the Cambodian
government to allow him to return before the elections, but the request
was rejected by the government, saying that Sam Rainsy is not a
political prisoner, but he committed criminal infringements and deserved
punishment by law.
In the last election in 2008, the Cambodian People’s Party ( CPP) of
Prime Minister Hun Sen won 90 seats out of the 123 parliamentary seats,
while the opposition Sam Rainsy Party won 26 seats, the Human Rights
Party three seats, the Funcinpec Party two seats and the Norodom
Ranariddh Party two seats.
Prime Minister Hun Sen forecast late last month that his party would
continue to win at least two-thirds majority in the upcoming polls.
“In the last election, we won more than two-thirds in the parliament.
I do believe that the CPP will be able to maintain the parliamentary
seats–not less than two-thirds in the forthcoming election,” he said.
Hun Sen, 61, has been in power for 28 years and vowed to stay in the office until he is 90.
Write by Khmer2days
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