Cambodian ruling party "no concern" over leadership of late King Father's daughter in royalist party [-Greek comedy on display between the CPP and Funcinpec]

Nhiek Bun Chhay (L) of Funcinpec listened attentively to Hun Xen of the CPP

Xinhua | 2013-2-19

The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) expressed "no concern" over popularity decline as Princess Norodom Arun Rasmey, the youngest daughter of Cambodia's late King Father Norodom Sihanouk, sets to lead the royalist party Funcinpec towards a general election in July, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

"It is no problem that she will become the president of Funcinpec Party," government spokesman and Information Minister Khieu Kanharith told reporters.

He said the CPP has no worries about the decline in popularity due to the princess' presence in politics, saying that people are free to elect the party they prefer.

"Everyone has his/her technique to seek support from voters," said Kanharith, who is also the CPP's spokesman. "More importantly, Funcinpec is a partner of the Cambodian People's Party in the current coalition government, so we wish it will gain more votes in the forthcoming election."

Princess Norodom Arun Rasmey, the current Cambodian ambassador to Malaysia, will be officially elected as the president of the Funcinpec on March 21 during the party congress, Funcinpec's spokesman Tum Sambol told Xinhua on Saturday.

He said the party decided to choose the princess as the party's president to join race in the general election on July 28 because she came from a political background with an impeccable rsum.

More importantly, Funcinpec is a royalist party, so it is the party's top priority to choose a royal member to lead the party, he said, adding that another reason is that the party wants to promote women into politics.

Funcinpec was first founded by late King Father Norodom Sihanouk in 1981. Sihanouk's son, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, led the party to electoral victory in the 1993 UNTAC-sponsored elections.

At that time, Ranariddh was co-prime minister in a "two-prime ministers" government with Hun Sen for four years until there was a bloody factional fighting in 1997 and Ranariddh was ousted from the position.

Since then, the party's popularity has gradually declined due to internal rifts and it won fewer seats at the National Assembly from term to term.

Currently, Funcinpec is headed by Nhik Bun Chhay and Arun Rasmey's husband, Keo Puth Rasmey.

In the last general elections in July 2008, Funcinpec won only two seats out of the 123 parliamentary seats, while the Cambodian People's Party of Prime Minister Hun Sen won up to 90 seats, followed by the opposition Sam Rainsy Party with 26 seats, the Human Rights Party three seats, the Norodom Ranariddh Party two seats.