Cambodian parliament amends laws to give opposition seats to other parties if it's dissolved

 Xinhua | 16 October 2017

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian parliament on Monday amended four election laws targeting to redistribute the main opposition party's seats to other parties if it is dissolved after its leader Kem Sokha was charged with treason.

The legal changes, proposed by the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), relate to the redistribution of the seat(s) of a political party in the Parliament, in the Senate, as well as in the provincial, municipal, district and commune councils to other parties if that party is disbanded for any "serious crimes."

Sixty-seven lawmakers of the ruling CPP, including Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, unanimously approved the amendments to the laws as all lawmakers of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) boycotted the session.

Under the changes, if a party abandons its seat(s), or is deleted from the List of Political Parties, or is dissolved, the National Election Committee will reallocate the seat(s) of that party within seven days to other parties taking part in the elections.

CPP senior lawmaker Cheam Yeap said the proposed changes to the four laws were made after CNRP leader Kem Sokha had allegedly committed treasonous acts by conspiring with foreign power(s) to topple the government through the so-called color revolution.

"The Cambodian People's Party, which is the party in power, cannot accept his treasonous acts," he told the parliament. "He betrays the nation and people, and his goal is to destroy the nation."

The kingdom's 123-seat parliament currently comprises two parties -- the ruling CPP holding 68 seats and the opposition CNRP possessing 55 seats.

CNRP is the main rival to Hun Sen's ruling CPP, as the Southeast Asian nation is gearing up for the national elections in July 2018.

The Cambodian government filed a complaint to the Supreme Court on Oct. 6 requesting the dissolution of the CNRP after its leader Kem Sokha was charged with treason.

Kem Sokha, 64, was arrested on Sept. 3 in Phnom Penh for allegedly plotting the overthrow of the government with the U.S. support. He was accused of treason, a charge that could face up to 30 years in prison.

If the CNRP is dissolved, its 55 parliamentary seats will be redistributed to five minor political parties taking part in the national elections in 2013 based on vote percentages they received.

The five parties are royalist Funcinpec Party, the League for Democracy Party (LDP), the Khmer Anti-Poverty Party (KAPP), the Cambodian Nationality Party (CNP) and the Khmer Economic Development Party (KEDP).

According to the calculation by legal experts, Funcinpec Party will receive 41 seats, LDP six, KAPP five, CNP two and KEDP one.