Rainsy Says King Has Not Set Date for Assembly
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Tuesday he refused to believe King Norodom Sihamoni had officially announced the date he will open the National Assembly later this month, despite the King having signed a letter announcing he would convene the inaugural session on September 23. Speaking to reporters after visiting Phnom Penh’s O’Russei market to meet with vendors and supporters, Mr. Rainsy said the letter released by the National Election Committee (NEC) was merely correspondence between the King and NEC President Im Suosdey and did not constitute the announcement of the first sitting of the National Assembly. … “I don’t believe that it’s the King’s letter to convene lawmakers,” he said, explaining that if King Sihamoni wanted to announce the first sitting, he would not do so through the NEC. … Still, Mr. Rainsy said that if the King directly asked opposition lawmakers to take their seats, the CNRP would consider it, a change from its long-standing pledge to boycott the opening of the National Assembly if allegations of election irregularities are not properly investigated. Speaking after his trip to O’Russei, Mr. Rainsy reiterated that King Sihamoni’s letter on Monday “does not commit” to any date and that the King had to personally write to elected lawmakers to make an official announcement of Parliament’s opening. “If we get a direct letter, we could consider sitting…this would be a question [to consider]. But based on this letter to Im Suosdey—this letter that is not for us—we cannot make any decisions,” he said. CNRP chief whip Son Chhay said that it was unlikely that even formal letters from the King inviting the opposition’s lawmakers to take their seats would change the party’s decision to boycott the opening of the Assembly. … Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan rejected Mr. Rainsy’s claims that the September 23 date stipulated by the King in his letter was not official. “He sent a Royal letter to the NEC, and it means that the King is available on that date, so it is decided by the King already,” he said. “It’s part of the electoral process.” “At the end of the process, the NEC writes a letter to the King [to tell him the results] and he writes back. The letter the King sends back is an official letter.” Koul Panha, executive director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, agreed with Mr. Rainsy’s assessment and said that King Sihamoni may still decide not to convene the first meeting of the National Assembly if the CNRP carries through with its boycott plans. …
Alex Willemyns and Khuon Narim
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/elections/rainsy-says-king-has-not-set-date-for-assembly-42120/
