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| Sao Rany, newly elected acting president of the Nationalist Party, speaks to reporters at a press conference at NRP headquarters in Phnom Penh yesterday. Photograph: Vireak Mai/Phnom Penh Post |
Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post
The Norodom Ranariddh Party will soon be no more after its members voted for a new name yesterday – the Nationalist Party – and elected a replacement for its royalist founder, who announced his exit from politics on Friday.
NRP Secretary-General Sao Rany, part of a faction that tried to publicly oust Prince Norodom Ranariddh last month, yesterday won the support of his co-members and will lead the party to its General Assembly on August 24 – and a likely merger with fellow royalist party Funcinpec.
“I thank the prince for resigning from his position . . . in order to open the way for us to unite the royalists,” he said yesterday.
“I was elected acting president of the [new party] and will help to stabilise party affairs before moving towards a merger with Funcinpec on August 25.
“We will integrate all levels of the party’s infrastructure into Funcinpec, and we will work under Funcinpec.”













