Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on May 16 called on eligible voters to cast their ballots in the upcoming general election.
In a Facebook post, PM Hun Sen appealed to all compatriots, especially young people, to go to the polls on July 29.
He thanked the people for trusting his leadership and hoped they would continue voting for the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) in order to ensure long-lasting peace and development.
PM Hun Sen’s call came after self-exiled former opposition leader Sam Rainsy and his group repeatedly called for people to boycott the election, giving the reason that the now-dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) was not allowed to participate in the election.
In the forthcoming general election, Cambodian voters will elect 125 parliamentarians for the 6th National Assembly. According to the National Election Committee (NEC), five political parties, namely the ruling CPP, the Funcinpec Party, the Cambodian Youth Party, the Cambodian Nationality Party, and the Khmer National United Party, had been officially allowed to contest in the upcoming election.
NEC is considering the registration applications by other 15 political parties and the final number of the political parties joining the race will be released on May 21.
More than 8.3 million Cambodian people are eligible to cast their ballots in the July 29 election. The Cambodian National Police said around 80,000 personnel will be deployed to maintain security for the election.
In the 2013 general election, eight political parties joined the race, in which the CPP won 68 seats against 55 seats for the then-CNRP in the 123-seat National Assembly.
The CNRP was dissolved on November 16, 2017 by the Supreme Court after its leader Kem Sokha, Sam Rainsy's successor, was arrested on September 3, 2017 and charged with "treason" for conspiring with a foreign power in an attempt to overthrow the government.
Meanwhile, Sam Rainsy has been living in self-imposed exile in France since 2015 to avoid at least eight-year-prison sentence for defamation and incitement cases.-VNA
VNA
