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| FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2015 file photo, Sam Rainsy, leader of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party CNRP), waves from a car upon his arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia as hundreds of cheering supporters greeted him on his return from a trip abroad. The head of Cambodia's opposition party has announced his resignation from the group after the country's long-serving prime minister announced plans for a law that could lead to the party's dissolution. Rainsy announced his resignation Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017 in a letter to his Cambodia National Rescue Party. |
Cambodian opposition chief resigns from party
AP / The Tribune (San Luis Obispo) | 11 February 2017
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia
The head of Cambodia's opposition party announced his
resignation from the group on Saturday in apparent response to plans by
the country's long-serving prime minister for a law that could lead to
the party's dissolution.
Sam Rainsy announced his resignation in a letter to senior members of his Cambodia National Rescue Party, or CNRP.
His action came after Prime Minister Hun Sen earlier this month vowed to amend the laws on political parties to keep convicts from holding leadership positions, among other rules.
Sam Rainsy is in self-imposed exile to avoid a two-year prison sentence for criminal
defamation. He has been the target of several lawsuits by Hun Sen and
his ruling Cambodian People's Party.
The opposition says the lawsuits are without merit, and just a legal ploy to try to cripple them. The party's deputy chief and acting head, Kem Sokha, has faced similar legal attacks, but has exchanged conciliatory words and gestures with Hun Sen in recent months. Hun Sen has a history of using a carrot-and-stick approach to successfully divide his opponents.
Cambodia will hold local elections in June. Sam Rainsy is the opposition's most dynamic and popular figure, and virtually embodies the opposition in challenging Hun Sen for more than two decades.
"In all circumstances I continue to cherish and to uphold the CNRP's ideals in my heart," Sam Rainsy said in a posting on his Facebook page.
A general election is scheduled for 2018.
Hun Sen's grip on power seemed shaken in 2013's general election, when the Cambodia National Rescue Party mounted a strong challenge, winning 55 seats in the National Assembly and leaving Hun Sen's party with 68.
The opposition said it had been cheated and staged a boycott of Parliament. Seeking to shore up his legitimacy, Hun Sen reached a political truce with the opposition in 2014, making some minor concessions over electoral and parliamentary procedures.
But relations between the government and the opposition deteriorated in 2015 after the opposition tried to exploit a volatile issue by accusing neighboring Vietnam, with which Hun Sen's government maintains good relations, of land encroachment. The move proved politically popular, and the government reacted by stepping up intimidation of the opposition in the courts.
[SeeHonorable Exit Strategy for Hun Sen -- till Vietnam intervened with Men Sam An]
The Cambodia National Rescue Party ended a new six-month boycott of Parliament in November last year, saying it wanted to ensure that the national budget for 2017 was debated properly. It had stopped attending parliamentary sessions in protest after some of its members were stripped of their parliamentary immunity and confronted with lawsuits.
Sam Rainsy announced his resignation in a letter to senior members of his Cambodia National Rescue Party, or CNRP.
His action came after Prime Minister Hun Sen earlier this month vowed to amend the laws on political parties to keep convicts from holding leadership positions, among other rules.
Sam Rainsy is in
The opposition says the lawsuits are without merit, and just a legal ploy to try to cripple them. The party's deputy chief and acting head, Kem Sokha, has faced similar legal attacks, but has exchanged conciliatory words and gestures with Hun Sen in recent months. Hun Sen has a history of using a carrot-and-stick approach to successfully divide his opponents.
Cambodia will hold local elections in June. Sam Rainsy is the opposition's most dynamic and popular figure, and virtually embodies the opposition in challenging Hun Sen for more than two decades.
"In all circumstances I continue to cherish and to uphold the CNRP's ideals in my heart," Sam Rainsy said in a posting on his Facebook page.
A general election is scheduled for 2018.
Hun Sen's grip on power seemed shaken in 2013's general election, when the Cambodia National Rescue Party mounted a strong challenge, winning 55 seats in the National Assembly and leaving Hun Sen's party with 68.
The opposition said it had been cheated and staged a boycott of Parliament. Seeking to shore up his legitimacy, Hun Sen reached a political truce with the opposition in 2014, making some minor concessions over electoral and parliamentary procedures.
But relations between the government and the opposition deteriorated in 2015 after the opposition tried to exploit a volatile issue by accusing neighboring Vietnam, with which Hun Sen's government maintains good relations, of land encroachment. The move proved politically popular, and the government reacted by stepping up intimidation of the opposition in the courts.
[SeeHonorable Exit Strategy for Hun Sen -- till Vietnam intervened with Men Sam An]
The Cambodia National Rescue Party ended a new six-month boycott of Parliament in November last year, saying it wanted to ensure that the national budget for 2017 was debated properly. It had stopped attending parliamentary sessions in protest after some of its members were stripped of their parliamentary immunity and confronted with lawsuits.
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