Cambodia announces parties to run in polls

Cambodia announces parties to run in polls

PHNOM PENH (Reuters): Cambodia's independent National Electoral Commission (NEC) formally announced yesterday the 39 political parties that will contest the July 26 general election.

The approved parties include the royalist FUNCINPEC led by co- premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh and the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), led by Second Prime Minister Hun Sen, who ousted the prince in a coup last July.

"The NEC has decided to officially register all 39 political parties to compete in the election," said a statement signed by NEC chairman Chheng Phon.

Ranariddh won the United Nations sponsored polls in 1993 but the results were disputed by Hun Sen and the CPP.

The prince's father, King Norodom Sihanouk, stepped in and proposed a plan for national reconciliation that resulted in a power-sharing deal with Hun Sen as second prime minister.

The election campaign is due to run from June 25 until July 24.

Many of the smaller parties contesting July's poll have aligned themselves with the CPP and are unlikely to win many seats in the new 122-seat National Assembly, analysts have said.

An opposition National United Front, that brought together four parties and included FUNCINPEC and a party led by former finance minister Sam Rainsy, has teetered on the brink of collapse due to a breakdown in trust, party members have said.

A senior government official, who is a prominent member of the CPP, pledged on Friday that the elections would be free and fair, and that politically motivated violence was unlikely to be a major disruptive factor.

"The life of Cambodia is suspended to await the elections... But the elections are possible without fighting. How many killings are there now?" said the official, who declined to be named.

The official called for peace in his war-torn and troubled country of around 10 million people.

"A peaceful society is the dream of every Cambodian. But we (the CPP) cannot do it alone, we need cooperation from all Cambodians and all opposition parties," he told Reuters.

While the situation remains tense, the number of politically motivated attacks and killings in recent months has declined. "We in the government are doing everything we can to provide security for politicians and their parties," the official said.

The United States on Wednesday said Cambodia was moving toward free and fair elections and that the climate of political intimidation had eased.

The CPP is confident of victory, analysts say, as Ranariddh's party political machine was devastated following his violent removal last year.

His expulsion had followed CPP accusations -- which Ranariddh denied -- that he was plotting a coup and attempting to ally himself with the Khmer Rouge.

Ranariddh went into temporary exile, troops that supported him were forced to retreat to O'Smach on the Thai border and FUNCINPEC itself split.