Cambodia's opposition chief: party's lawmakers to boycott parliament if poll row not resolved

Cambodia's long-time opposition leader Sam Rainsy (R) speaks during a press conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sept. 20, 2013. Sam Rainsy reiterated on Friday that his party's elected lawmakers would boycott the opening session of new parliament scheduled for next Monday if no appropriate solution was found to the disputed July 28 election results. (Xinhua/Sovannara)

English.news.cn   2013-09-20 13:04:02

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's long-time opposition leader Sam Rainsy reiterated on Friday that his party's elected lawmakers would boycott the opening session of new parliament scheduled for next Monday if no appropriate solution was found to the disputed July 28 election results.

"Our party's last stance is that we will not attend the opening session of new parliament on Sept. 23 if there are no more talks with the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) in order to resolve the contested election results," Sam Rainsy, president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), said at a press conference at the party's headquarters in Phnom Penh. "The opening session of parliament should be postponed," he said.

He also called for the resumption of talks with the CPP in order to find the truth for voters, or there could be another mass protest against the opening of the new parliament.

The official election results showed that the ruling CPP of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen won 68 out of the 123 parliamentary seats, and the CNRP of long-time opposition leader Sam Rainsy got 55 seats.

The CNRP rejected the results, claiming serious vote fraud and demanding the formation of an independent poll probe committee, but the CPP ruled it out, saying it was against the country's constitution and the election results were already ratified.

King Norodom Sihamoni last week invited all the 123 elected lawmakers for the opening session of the new parliament on Sept. 23. On Wednesday, he urged the opposition party's 55 elected lawmakers to attend the session in order to show "unification and national unity."

The ruling CPP announced on Thursday that the party's elected lawmakers were ready to attend the opening session of the new parliament despite opposition warning of a boycott.

"The CPP would like to announce that all the 68 elected lawmakers comply with His Majesty's invitations and are ready to take part in the opening session of the fifth legislature of the National Assembly under the auspices of His Majesty on Sept. 23," the CPP said in a statement.

On Friday morning, Prince Sisowath Thomico, an opposition party 's senior member, went on a hunger strike at the capital's historical Wat Phnom site in order to call for a political solution over the contested election results.

"I will go on a hunger strike until there is a way to find justice for voters," Thomico, former personal secretary and nephew of the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk, told reporters at the site.

The prince ran as an opposition party's parliamentary candidate for Southwestern Preah Sihanouk province in the July 28 election, but won no seat.

On Thursday, more than 100 pro-opposition monks marched to the Royal Palace and called on the King to delay the opening session of new parliament, saying that political dispute over the election results has not been resolved.

On Sunday, the opposition staged a three-day mass demonstration in the capital and led to two clashes between police and protesters, leaving one protester dead and several injured.

During the clashes, the police had fired tear gas, smoke bombs and water cannons to disperse protesters.

The leaders of the two parties--Prime Minister Hun Sen and Sam Rainsy--had held talks on Monday and Tuesday, aiming at finding a way to break through the political impasse, but reached no any remarkable agreement.

Hun Sen has said that his party has enough lawmakers to override any opposition parliamentary boycott and form a new government.