Rainsy claims king avoiding politics

[geovalin]

Former opposition leader Sam Rainsy yesterday thanked (sic)  King Norodom Sihamoni for allegedly not signing off on the controversial amendments to the Law on Political Parties, which effectively gives the CPP wide-reaching powers to dissolve opposition parties. King Norodom Sihamoni is in China for his biannual medical check-up. In his absence, Senate President Say Chhum will act as Head of State to give the amendments a final endorsement.
 

“The amendments are a serious violation to the constitution, especially with the points requiring the Kingdom of Cambodia to practice democracy,” Mr. Rainsy alleged  in a Facebook post, which is no different from his frequent rhetoric. “Today, there are only two parties in parliament and if the ruling party dissolves the opposition, it would return to a single-party regime like during the communist period which won’t be called political pluralism anymore.
 

“He [the king] did not agree to sign this amendment, he went to China to avoid the bad name in history,” the self exiled Rainsy claimed. He added that King Norodom Sihanouk in 2004 behaved similarly and went to China to avoid signing off on an undemocratic amendment to the constitution which allowed members of the National Assembly to elect both the Assembly Speaker and the Prime Minister simultaneously in a single vote, which was termed a “package vote.”

 

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