AFP, DPA
Phnom Penh
The deputy leader of Cambodia’s opposition was yesterday ousted as vice chief of parliament following protests by ruling party supporters, a move that threatens to reignite political tensions in the kingdom.
Kem Sokha, deputy leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was removed by a parliamentary vote that comes after backers of strongman premier Hun Sen’s party protested in their thousands for his removal on Monday.
That demonstration in Phnom Penh saw two CNRP MPs violently attacked.
It is not yet clear who was behind the attacks in a country where the prime minister has been in power for more than three decades and is frequently accused by rights groups of stifling the opposition.
The vote to remove Sokha as First Vice-President of the National Assembly went ahead yesterday despite a boycott by opposition MPs.
The vote “has violated the constitution” and the political deal between the two parties, said the CNRP in a statement issued after the ballot, referring to an agreement reached last July to end the opposition’s year-long parliamentary boycott.
The removal of Sokha, who remains an MP, is the latest spat between Cambodia’s two main political parties.
Relations reached a nadir after controversial 2013 elections which saw the CNRP abandon the legislature for a year, accusing the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) of stealing victory through vote-rigging.
Kem Sokha’s removal was the latest act in an ongoing rivalry between the political parties ahead of elections in 2017, according to analyst Ou Virak, founder of the
think tank Future Forum.
“Here you have the situation where the opposition tries their best to maintain visibility to keep momentum and you have a ruling party that is doing their best to stop that momentum, and pull a few tricks out of their sleeve,” Ou Virak said.
The opposition has received unprecedented support from voters in recent years, nearly winning the 2013 election and creating insecurity in the Cambodian People’s Party, which has ruled since 1998, according to Ou Virak.
Hun Sen, 63, has signalled he has no intention to end his dominance of Cambodian politics — previously vowing to stay in power until he is 74.
The leader is regularly accused by rights groups of stamping out dissent and ignoring human rights abuses.
The anger of political opponents at the CNRP and its leaders turned violent on Monday, when protesters beat two opposition members of parliament, Kong Sophea and Nhay Chamraoen, as they
attempted to leave parliament.
A video of the attack showed one of the members being pulled from the back of his car in broad daylight and kicked repeatedly as spectators look on. The same politician can later be seen bloody and unconscious on the ground.
Kem Sokha ... removed
