Cambodian prince returns to politics

[geovalin]

Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh announced his return to politics Sunday amid speculation that he is being brought back by leader Hun Sen to bolster support for his government.

PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh announced his return to politics Sunday amid speculation that he is being brought back by leader Hun Sen to bolster support for his government.

Ranariddh, son of the beloved late monarch Norodom Sihanouk and half-brother of the current king, said he was making a comeback to unite the royalist movement and has denied any alliance with Hun Sen.

But many observers believe it is a tactic by the Cambodian leader to harness the popularity of the royal family and draw support away from the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which made gains in elections last July.

"My only hope is to have a voice in the parliament in order to serve the nation and to resolve national problems," the prince, who was prime minister from 1993 to 1997, told a meeting of supporters in the capital Phnom Penh.

"My objective is to reunite the people as the root of the party," he said, adding that those he referred to were royalists who supported his father, who died in 2012.

However, he did not dismiss the possibility of some kind of alliance.

"I will not hesitate to form an alliance with a party that would be with me to take care of the supreme interests of the country," he said.

Ranariddh said he would register his new Community of the Royalist People Party with the interior ministry next week.

Hun Sen ousted Ranariddh in a bloody coup in 1997, but their relationship has improved in recent years.

While not as revered as his father, Ranariddh is a popular royal figure.

He has political gravitas, although his reputation has been battered in recent years by allegations of corruption and adultery which have diminished him in the eyes of some royalists.

He was pardoned in 2008 over a conviction for fraud which saw him ejected from the royalist Funcinpec party founded by his father.

He twice entered politics after 2008 under the banner of his own Norodom Ranariddh Party, but both forays were shortlived.

Ranariddh stepped down from politics voluntarily in 2012, with senior officials in the two royalist parties seeing him as a divisive figure.

The royalists failed to win a single seat in last year's elections.

The CNRP has boycotted parliament since the polls last year, accusing Hun Sen of vote-rigging.

He has also faced mounting criticism over his rights record as well as accusations of using excessive force to disperse demonstrators.

The 61-year-old former Khmer Rouge cadre, who defected and oversaw Cambodia's rise from the ashes of war, has ruled for 28 years and vowed to continue until he is 74.

- AFP/ac

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/cambodian-prince-returns/1038052.html

[Sheryl]

IMO:

This will be short-lived.

And if it is intended to boost the CPP, will not have that effect.....

[geovalin]

WASHINGTON DC — Despite criticism that Cambodia’s political field has no room for a third party, some analysts say that the new party formed by Prince Norodom Ranariddh could have a role to play, as a coalition partner for either the ruling or opposition party.

Koul Panha, head of the election-monitoring group Comfrel, told VOA Khmer Thursday that a parliamentary democracy functions best when there is a ruling party or coalition coupled with a robust opposition.

Prince Ranariddh’s Community of Royalist People Party could work as a partner to one side or the other, analysts say.

Chea Vannath, an independent political analyst based in Phnom Penh, said the royalist party could become a “filler” for one side or the other, adding any seats it may win in a parliamentary election to a coalition.

Both she and Koul Panha were skeptical about the popularity of the party. Prince Ranariddh and the royalists have seen declining support since elections in 1993 and 1998, with many of their voters splitting either to the opposition or ruling party.

Kem Sokha, vice president of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, said the prince’s new party was no political threat. In a fair election, “he surely would get nothing,” Kem Sokha said. “Not even one seat would he would he win.”

Still, supporters of the prince say these are unfair characterizations, especially given the political deadlock that has mired the ruling party and opposition since last year’s election.

“It is a new movement, as we see the stalemate today cannot solve the problems after the election,” said Noranariddh Anandayath, cabinet chief to Prince Randariddh. “No party is thinking nationally, but only personally, such as how many votes they won and how many seats they have won.”

But critics like Lu Lay Sreng, who was a founder of the original royalist party, Funcinpec, said the prince should not run again. He should instead should find another role, Lu Lay Sreng said, such as adviser to the current king, his brother, Norodom Sihamoni.

http://www.voacambodia.com/content/royalist-party-could-function-as-partner-analysts-say/1875461.html