Cambodian PM says main opposition party on verge of dissolution in treason case

 Xinhua | 4 November 2017

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Saturday that the country's biggest opposition party was on the brink of dissolution after its leader Kem Sokha was charged with treason.

Speaking in a video live broadcast on his Facebook page, the prime minister said the Supreme Court would hear the case of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) dissolution on Nov. 16 and he totally believed that the CNRP would be dissolved.

"The Cambodia National Rescue Party is on the verge of dissolution," he said. "Until now, there is only 12 days left."

Hun Sen said the CNRP would be dissolved before Kem Sokha was convicted.

According to the prime minister, when the CNRP is disbanded, more than 100 CNRP's standing and central committee members will be barred from politics for five years.

Meanwhile, Hun Sen, who is also president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), renewed his call for CNRP lawmakers and commune councilors to quit their party and join the CPP before their party was dissolved and promised to keep the same positions for CNRP commune councilors.

The government lodged a complaint to the Supreme Court, requesting the dissolution of the CNRP on Oct. 6, a month after its leader Kem Sokha was arrested for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government with the U.S. support.

He was charged with treason, a charge that could face up to 30 years in prison.

CNRP is the main rival to the CPP, as the Southeast Asian country is gearing up for the national elections in July 2018.

In the last national elections in 2013, the CNRP earned 55 parliamentary seats and the CPP won 68 seats in the 123-seat parliament.

And in the commune elections in June this year, the CNRP received about 3 million votes, or 43.8 percent of the total votes, as the CPP won 3.54 million votes, or 50.7 percent.

The CNRP is currently holding 5,007 commune council seats, including 489 commune chief seats.

Under the country's recently-amended election laws, if the CNRP is dissolved, all its parliamentary seats and commune council seats will be redistributed to other political parties taking part in the elections.