CNRP members raise their hands to vote in favour of new leadership at the party’s extraordinary congress last month in Phnom Penh. Pha Lina |
New congress seeks to clear ministry hurdle
Phnom Penh Post | 19 April 2017
The Cambodia National Rescue Party plans to hold another
extraordinary congress next week to reselect three deputy leaders whose
appointment at a congress last month was deemed invalid by the Interior
Ministry.
Speaking yesterday, opposition CNRP lawmaker Pol Ham, one of the
three vice presidents deemed illegitimate by the ministry, said the
party will hold the congress on April 25. The Interior Ministry claimed
the opposition violated its own bylaws when it chose its new leadership
on March 2.
According to Ham, on top of a vote on the vice presidents, the party will amend its statutes to facilitate the process.
“Internally there is no problem but the Interior Ministry said that we do not have deputy presidents,” Ham said.
To address this, the opposition plans to add a clause specifically
allowing the central committee to select deputy presidents when none are
in place. “We will wait to see how the Interior Ministry reacts. If
they suggest more, we will follow,” he said.
The ministry claims it is enforcing the rules but many see its
actions as an attempt to bureaucratically bind the CNRP as local
elections approach.
The appointment of CNRP president Kem Sokha, who was elevated at the
same March congress as his deputies, was initially deemed invalid though
that decision was reversed.
Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak declined to comment on
whether the CNRP’s planned congress would put the matter to rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment