SRP Statement on The Election of The Sam Rainsy Party Leadership

September 13, 2007

STATEMENT ON THE ELECTION OF THE SAM RAINSY PARTY LEADERSHIP

Following democratic principles, the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) has implemented an in-depth reform over the last three years, so as to elect its leaders from bottom up. Elections started at the village level, went up to the commune level, then to the district level, then to the provincial level, and finally to the national level with the election of the Steering Committee, the Permanent Committee and the party top leaders: President, Vice-President, Secretary-General, Treasurer, and Controller.

On Cambodia's political scene, only the SRP has the will and the means to implement such a reform. By electing all its leaders from bottom up, the SRP has put an end to the practice (still ongoing in other political parties) of appointing leaders following a top-down approach. Over 500,000 SRP members all over the country have taken part in elections organized successively in over 10,000 villages, 1,621 communes, 185 districts and 24 provinces or municipalities. This series of elections at all levels were organized by the SRP with the support of several international organizations including the US Agency for International Development (USAID, representing the US Government), the Washington-based National Democratic Institute (NDI), and the Washington-based International Republican Institute (IRI). These organizations help promote democracy in Cambodia and consider that the reform being conducted by the SRP is really strengthening democracy within our party and will help strengthen democracy in our country.

Regarding Secretary General Eng Chhay Eang who was elected into his position at the SRP Fourth Congress on September 8-9, 2007, our party wants to stress that his gambling habit belongs to the past. Before deciding to run again for the Secretary General position, Eng Chhay Eang has amended himself and put an end to his wrongdoing. Because he has amended himself, Eng Chhay Eang was elected by the SRP Steering Committee, through a secret ballot, as Secretary General. The election, which is in line with the democratic reform undertaken by our party, was monitored by representatives from the above-mentioned international organizations. All the participants, including all the candidates, finally recognized the election result as correct and fair.

Besides, the SRP top leadership have decided that, from now on, the SRP Secretariat General will work on the basis of a consensus rule, meaning that all important decisions by the Secretariat General will also require the agreement of Deputy Secretaries General Mu Sochua and Teav Vannol.

In case there is information and evidence showing that any SRP leader is involved in any wrongdoing that affects the work and the honor of our party in the present and in the future, the concerned person will have to voluntarily resign from his position without the Permanent Committee and the Steering Committee having to fire him.

SRP Permanent Committee

SRP delegates re-elected Sam Rainsy as party president

Monday, September 10, 2007
Posted by everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The 4th congress of the Sam Rainsy party took place during two days on 08-09 September. The party delegates decided, through a hand vote, to choose Mr. Sam Rainsy as the party president for another 3-year mandate.

The congress also re-elected Mr. Kong Korm as the party vice-president. There were two candidates for the position of party secretary-general: Mr. Eng Chhay Eang and Mrs. Mu Sochua. Mr. Eng Chhay Eang, who received the majority votes, will replace Mrs. Mu Sochua as party Secretary-general, Mrs. Mu Sochua will become the party No. 1 deputy Secretary-General, and Mr. Teav Vannol, a Cambodian-American, was elected as the party No. 2 deputy Secretary-general.

A motion was set forth to increase the number of members of the party steering committee from 74 to 99. The motion was adopted by a hand vote approval. However, the selection of the party 15-member permanent committee still faces some difficulties as only 5 committee members were elected, 5 were automatically nominated, and another 5 did not yet receive the approval vote due to lack of time. Mrs. Mu Sochua said that the election for the remaining members of the party permanent committee will be delayed to another time to be determined later.

In the congress opening speech, Mr. Sam Rainsy expressed the party’s pride by saying that only SRP is a true democratic party because the party held elections at all 14,000 villages within the entire country, next the party held elections at the commune levels, district levels, and provincial levels. The party election culminated with the party congress to elect the party leaders from the base levels to the party central committee level.

Mr. Sam Rainsy declared during his acceptance speech that the election for the party president or the other party leaders was open and democratically conducted. “We don’t want to win over other party members, because regardless of whether we win or lose, we still remain a SRP party member. We have only one goal: to wrestle the victory from the CPP, the current ruling party,” Mr. Sam Rainsy said.

Mr. Sam Rainsy is confident that his party will win the upcoming election on 27 July 2008 by wrestling the popularity from the CPP, and he said under that under such election win, he will become the prime minister. Mr. Sam Rainsy declared that his party will win 62 seats at the National Assembly during next year’s election, to lead the country.

Nevertheless, political analysts said that, in spite of the SRP claim about its victory, the SRP could not receive more votes that the CPP based on the voting results during the recent commune election. The results of this latest election reflect those for the 2008 general election.