Phnom Penh (September 23, 2013): Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) on Monday shrugged off the first National Assembly under chairmanship of King Norodom Sihamoni, leaving Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) to go alone. The meeting also join by foreign embassy representatives and international observers was under tough security.
After the opening ceremony with the King’s presence, the new CPP-run assembly started discussing its structure and international regulations. All 68 CPP parliamentarians will go to the royal palace to swear in for their next five-year mandate.
Police and military police since Sunday have increased building security by checking travelers on the main route from provinces to Phnom Penh if CNRP supporters come to conduct demonstration against the meeting.
Although both CNRP and a group of civil society organisations as well as Buddhist monks asked the King to delay the meeting until CPP and CNRP could find political deal, His Majesty the King in the morning of Monday, chaired and kicked off the first parliamentary meeting.
The National Election Committee (NEC) on September 8 officially declared that CPP won the July 28 election saying that CPP got 68 and CNRP got 55 out of the total of 123 seats of the National Assembly.
However, the CNRP has rejected the results saying that its party claiming the poll was fraud with many irregularities. It say its party won up to 63 and that the results were stolen and alleged NEC as the thief who helped steal the election results for CPP.
Foreign embassies’ representatives observe the new CPP-run national Assembly meeting chaired by King Norodom Sihamoni on Sept 23, 2013. Photo taken from live National Television by Khut Sokhoeun
On Sunday, 63 CNRP parliamentary candidates swore in front of Angkor Wat temple in Siem reap saying that they would not join the meeting until the their request is met.
CNRP declared to continue its mass demonstration until justice is found. At least one man dead and more than 10 others, including a journalist, were injured during the bloody protest on September 10.
CNRP leader Sam Rainsy last Friday called for NEC to declare CNRP and CPP joint victors, saying that it would be a step to break down political crisis and there could be a “balance of power”.