Dissident politicians risk losing their seats in parliament if they refuse to attend the NA’s swearing in ceremony next month, govt warns

Tuesday, 05 August 2008

Written by Vong Sokheng and Cheang Sokha Heng Chivoan Sam Rainsy protests the deletion of voters’ names from the election registration rolls. Politicians have warned that a threatened boycott by opposition lawmakers of the swearing-in of Cambodia’s new National Assembly could deadlock the government, as ruling party officials insisted that dissidents risked losing their parliamentary seats if they failed to show up at next month’s ceremony. “A boycott will cause political deadlock regarding the formation of the new National Assembly,” said Monh Saphan, a parliamentarian with Funcinpec, the former coalition government partner of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). But others, including the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), headed by one-time Funcinpec president Prince Norodom Ranariddh, said a boycott was the most effective way to protest alleged vote-rigging in the July 27 general election. “We will use our one voice to boycott the ceremony,” said NRP spokesman Muth Chantha on Monday. “We are all sitting in one boat and will row it together.” Minister of Information and CPP spokesman Khieu Kanharith said any parliamentarian not at the September 24 swearing in would be stripped of his or her seat. The vacant seats would be divided among the parties that did attend, he said, adding that “the CPP stands to gain 15 more seats. The constitution requires that at least 120 of the Assembly’s 123 seats are filled for the first session. SRP lawmaker Yim Sovann said the opposition was collecting evidence of vote fraud to take to election officials.