Cambodian parties form new govt

Cambodian parties form new govt

CAMBODIA: Cambodia's three main political parties have agreed to form a coalition government with Prime Minister Hun Sen as leader, the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) said on Wednesday.

The agreement, which ended a three-month impasse after the July national elections, was forged at a meeting of the parties' leaders on Wednesday that was called by King Norodom Sihanouk.

The CPP led by Hun Sen was first past the post in the elections, but failed to win the two-thirds majority it needed to govern in its own right.

The royalist FUNCINPEC and the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) had refused to form a coalition with the CPP and formed an "Alliance of Democrats" to push for a three-party government without Hun Sen as leader.

SRP spokesman Ong Bun Ang confirmed they had now agreed on a power-sharing deal with Hun Sen to lead the new administration. -- AFP