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.
The top NGOs registered to observe next month’s commune election have evident links to state officials — one headed by a prime minister’s son, another by a deputy prime minister, and a third by a ministry’s secretary of state.
The ruling CPP has filed complaints against four Candlelight commune chief candidates in Pailin for using a slogan calling for the removal of “the commune chief serving the party.”
Two ambiguously worded letters from CPP Phnom Penh members calling for polling station staffers to attend training have sparked concern from opposition parties saying the letters appeared to be inviting NEC officials to receive ruling party guidance.
If the Cambodia Reform Party were to win commune positions, it would work to empower the grassroots and ensure there is no corruption in the delivery of public services, said party founder Ou Chanrath. He had to contest this election because an uncontested ballot risked turning Cambodia into a “second China,” he said.
Pate commune chief Chhay Thy is proud of the two roads he built over the past five years. The former rights worker turned ruling party politician said he was confident of ongoing support from residents, but some said they wanted a Jarai leader, not a Khmer outsider.
VOD reporters followed the launch of the official campaigning period for the June 5 commune election on Saturday morning. The Candlelight Party held a march through Phnom Penh, while the ruling CPP conducted gatherings within communes. Other parties like the Grassroots Democratic Party and the Khmer National United Party also kicked off their campaigning.
Chao Ratanak, Candlelight’s top candidate in Poipet commune, where her father once served as an opposition councilor, had no political experience until recently. If elected, she says she’ll draw on lessons from her father and her family’s migrant worker experience.
Sor Sarath is the only woman commune-chief candidate for the Grassroots Democratic Party. Sarath, a 38-year-old tailor, says she is committed to pushing for women’s rights and participation in social activities in Kampong Chhnang’s Kampong Tralach commune. The task is not a simple one but would be a lot easier if men got out of the way, she says.
The ruling CPP will not have any major rallies when the campaign period kicks off on Saturday, said a party spokesperson, while a Candlelight Party official asked members to refrain from incendiary comments even once rallies kick off.
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