The Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that the Candlelight Party’s appointment of vice president Son Chhay earlier this year failed to follow the party’s own procedures.
In a letter, the ministry said it was considering the appointment as a violation of party statues, and requested a review.
Chhay, a former CNRP lawmaker, was placed under a political ban following the opposition CNRP’s dissolution in 2017, but requested amnesty and joined Candlelight in March.
Candlelight Party spokesperson Thach Setha said on Wednesday that the party had not yet sent an official record of Chhay’s appointment as vice president to the Interior Ministry, and would do so on Monday.
“We will review it. Right now, we are busy with the elections. After that, we will review what we need to review in accordance with the Law on Political Parties. If there are any shortcomings, we will fill out the correct forms in accordance with the law,” Setha said.
The party has become the country’s largest opposition party, standing in 1,623 of the country’s 1,652 communes. Formerly the Sam Rainsy Party — which formed part of the CNRP in a merger — the party has recently attracted many former politicians and supporters of the CNRP.
As a CNRP lawmaker, Chhay was known for actively pursuing corruption allegations in National Assembly debates.
