The Phnom Penh Municipal Court reviewed evidence presented during a mass trial involving around 60 CNRP leaders, members and supporters who planned to support the return of former party president Sam Rainsy in 2019.
VOD sat down with Kong Monika, the president of the Khmer Will Party, to talk about the party’s prospects and the policies it will pitch to the electorate. Monika admitted that the party was still small and lacking in resources but was focused on making commune administrations nonpartisan and reducing corruption and abuse of power by commune chiefs.
The Kampucheaniyum Party is the latest entrant in a growing group of political parties born out of the defunct Cambodia National Rescue Party. Party president Yem Ponhearith has been a longtime ally of CNRP president Kem Sokha and a senior member of the Human Rights Party.
This video is the first in a series of interviews with senior members of small parties about their policies and aspirations for the upcoming commune election.
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court rejected CNRP president Kem Sokha’s request to travel to Germany for a summit, with the prosecution saying there was no surety the politician would return to Cambodia.
Twenty-one CNRP leaders and members were convicted by a Phnom Penh court this morning for their involvement in the formation of the overseas CNRM opposition movement and for comments about the Covid-19 response.
Defense lawyers called a deputy prosecutor immoral and unprofessional for an example he made in court using former opposition leader Kem Sokha, as lawyers’ debates prevented the judge from reaching a decision about acceptable evidence.
Antiterrorism police said in court on Tuesday that CNRP defendants linked to or supporting Sam Rainsy’s planned return in 2019 were engaging in incitement.
With a little over 90 days to the commune elections, political parties began registering candidates on Friday to run in the 1,652 communes across the country.
Opposition leader Kem Sokha made another call to find a resolution to his treason trial, adding that efforts to keep him away from politics could render upcoming elections not free and fair.
CNRP supporter Seng Chan Theary was asked to explain the use of terms like “illegitimate government” and “dictatorship” in Facebook posts that are being used as evidence against her in the mass trial of CNRP leaders and members.
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