Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Cambodian opposition warns to boycott 1st parliamentary session if demand not met




                 English.news.cn | 2013-08-06 21:10:30 | Editor: Fu Peng

CAMBODIA-PHNOM PENH-OPPOSITION PARTY-WARNING



English.news.cn   2013-08-06 20:09:20            
PHNOM PENH, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) warned on Tuesday to boycott the upcoming first parliamentary session if its demand for a United Nations-backed poll investigation committee was not met.
"We vow in front of you that if they do not find justice for us, we will not join the first National Assembly session," Kem Sokha, CNRP's vice-president, told a rally of about 3,000 supporters at the Freedom Park in Phnom Penh.
"Now, we call for the UN to find justice for us. If there is no a just solution for us, people will find justice by themselves."
Cambodia held a general election on July 28. The initial unofficial results showed that the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen has won 68 of the 123 parliamentary seats, with CNRP taking the remaining 55 seats.
But CNRP President Sam Rainsy, claiming serious irregularities in the poll, did not recognize the results and called for the United Nations to be a "referee" in a proposed poll probe committee which was rejected by the Cambodian National Election Committee (NEC).
The NEC said it could only allow the establishment of a committee comprising the NEC, the CPP and CNRP as members, while national, international or UN officials as observers.
"It is beyond the NEC's authority to invite a UN representative to join the proposed committee," NEC Chairman Im Suosdey told reporters on Sunday, adding that the NEC would set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate irregularities during the poll no matter the CNRP agrees or disagrees.
At the rally on Tuesday, Sam Rainsy repeatedly warned to lead mass protests against the election results.
"We urge all people to get up to protect our victory," he said, claiming that his opposition CNRP has won 63 seats, with the ruling CPP getting 60 seats.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said last Friday that the new parliament and government would be established as scheduled even though the opposition boycotted the first parliamentary session.
"According to the constitution, a new government will be formed by a 50 percent plus one majority, or 63 lawmakers, in the new National Assembly," said Hun Sen, who has been in power for 28 years.
"I will be the prime minister for the new five-year mandate government," he said.
A new National Assembly will be convened by King Norodom Sihamoni no later than 60 days after the election, according to the constitution.
"If lawmakers of any political parties fail to show up in the first parliamentary session, it means that they abandon their seats, so their seats will be given to other parties in parliament, " he said.
A Cambodian renowned political analyst Chea Vannath, former president of the Center for Social Development, said Tuesday that the opposition's mass protest warnings helped nothing, but caused social trouble.
"The protests will make the situation worse," she told Xinhua. "Among the CNRP supporters, there are some conservationists and extremists; those may prefer to protest, but maybe the majority of the supporters don't want it."
"I have talked to people, they just want peace, they want the two parties to work together, not to work against each other," she said.
The official election results will be released on Aug. 14 if there are no challenges from political parties, but the results will be issued on Sept. 8 if there are complaints, according to the NEC's schedule.
Editor: Fu Peng

CAMBODIA-PHNOM PENH-OPPOSITION PARTY-WARNING

No comments:

Post a Comment