President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and prime minister of Cambodia, Samdech Techo Hun Sen (R front), honorary President of CPP and president of the National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin (L front) attend the CPP's extraordinary congress in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jan. 19, 2018. The ruling CPP held its extraordinary congress on Friday to discuss and adopt the next five-year political program (2018-2023). (Xinhua/Sovannara)

Cambodia's ruling party holds extraordinary congress to design next 5-year political program

Xinhua | 19 January 2018

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) held its extraordinary congress on Friday to discuss and adopt the next five-year political program (2018-2023).

"Our party must have a very clear political program to build hope for the constituents and to win their support," CPP's honorary President Samdech Heng Samrin said in his opening speech, adding that the congress would also review the party's achievements in 2017 and set the target for 2018.

Samrin, who is also the president of the National Assembly, said 2018 is also a special year for Cambodia as the country will hold two major elections, the Senate election on Feb. 25 and the general election on July 29.

The three-day congress was presided over by CPP's President Samdech Techo Hun Sen, who is the prime minister of Cambodia, and was attended by some 2,400 party members from across the kingdom.

The CPP has ruled the country since 1979. Its current central committee consists of 545 members.

In the 2013 general election, the CPP won the majority receiving 68 parliamentary seats against 55 seats for the now-defunct opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).