11 parties finally approved to join parliamentary election of Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The National Election Committee (NEC) of Cambodia confirmed that 11 out of the 12 political parties applying to join the general election on July 27 are eligible to vie for seats at the National Assembly, said a press release received Wednesday.

NEC made the ultimate decision, after the Constitutional Council inspected and rejected the application of the Khmer Popular Society Party, said the committee in its release.

Earlier last week, NEC preliminarily denied the party's application and sent its document to the council for further inspection.

The approved participants included the major ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), the co-ruling Funcinpec Party, the royalist Norodom Ranariddh Party, as well as the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) and Human Rights Party.

During the previous general election in 2003, 23 political parties vied with each other for the 123 seats in the Cambodian National Assembly. In that year, CPP led by Prime Minister Hun Senwon 73 seats, Funcinpec 26 seats, and SRP 24 seats.

12 Parties Registered for Election: NEC

By Seng Ratana, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh
13 May 2008

A total of 12 political parties have signed up to compete in the July polls, the National Election Committee said Monday, as the registration period ended.

The number was about half of those registered for other elections, due to a lack of money and time for small groups wishing to contest, said NEC Secretary-General Tep Nitha.

Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Kuy Bunroeun said Monday the commune councils had made registration a difficult process, hampering smaller parties.

Muth Chantha, spokesman for the Norodom Ranariddh Party, said some commune councils did not respect the law, eating up a lot of his party’s time.

The Sangkum Khmer Niyum Party, whose application was the only one to be rejected, said it planned to appeal to the constitutional council.

Registration ran from April 18 to May 12; elections are slated for July 27.

Fewer parties register for parliamentary election of Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Altogether 12 political parties have officially registered for the parliamentary election of Cambodia on July 27, the National Election Committee (NEC) announced on Monday, or the closing date of registration.

This number is lower than the 2003 general election, which had 23 political parties, Tep Nytha, secretary general of the NEC, told a press conference at the NEC office.

The decrease could be attributed to lack of budget and human resources, he added.

The 12 political parties will compete for the 123 seats in the Cambodian National Assembly.

In the 2003 general election, the ruling Cambodian People's Party led by Prime Minister Hun Sen won 73 seats, the co-ruling Funcinpec Party 26 seats, and the major opposition Sam Rainsy Party 24 seats.