The Khmer Will Party held a party congress on Sunday to appoint new leaders after the previous leadership, including party president Kong Monika, resigned to contest the 2023 election under the banner of the Candlelight Party.
The Khmer Will Party had announced its intention to not put forth its own candidates for the national election in July, and instead contest the ballot on a Candlelight ticket to ensure a consolidation of the opposition vote. Monika’s father, Kong Korm, was also appointed a special adviser at Candlelight.
The party held an extraordinary congress on Sunday to approve the decision to contest together with Candlelight and to also appoint new leaders to fill in for party officials who had resigned to “participate” with the bigger opposition partner. The Khmer Will Party would remain a registered party, according to a statement released on Sunday.
Monika said around 20 national level leaders in the party had quit their membership of the Khmer Will Party to move to Candlelight, but wasn’t sure how they would be accommodated in the new party structure.
“So far, I do not know what position the Candlelight leadership will provide for me and other leaders,” he said.
The new president of the Khmer Will Party is Phal Sopha, while Phal Piseth will take over as vice president and Dam Thavrak will be the new secretary.
The Khmer Will Party was founded by Monika and has seen little success in the last two elections. His father, Kong Korm, used to head the Sam Rainsy Party, before it was rebranded as Candlelight, and has also worked for the CPP in the past.
— Ouch Sony
Hun Sen Recovers from Covid-19
Prime Minister Hun Sen announced Sunday night that he had recovered from Covid-19, around a week after he tested positive as he attended an G-20 summit in Indonesia.
The prime minister on November 15 announced that he had tested positive for Covid-19 in Indonesia, where he was attending a multilateral summit. He said he had tested before leaving Cambodia but tested positive on arrival and was unsure how he had been infected. The news came days after Asean Summit concluded in Phnom Penh.
Hun Sen said he was OK and would continue his official work, except for attending meetings.
The prime minister announced on Sunday that he was cured of Covid-19 last Friday. He also posted a letter from a doctor at Calmette Hospital in Phnom Penh, Hun Chamroeun, saying the prime minister was back in good health and did not need to be in quarantine anymore.
Hun Sen said he would return to his work schedule on Monday but would not over-exert. He attended an Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly meeting Monday morning and would inaugurate the national games in the evening.
— Ouch Sony
