Funcinpec and Nationalist Party to hold a joint national congress in 2011

Nhiek Bunchhay (L) and General Secretary of the Nationalist Party Mr. You Hockry (R) signing an agreement to form an alliance on 3rd April, 2010.
By Khmerization

Source: DAP News

A senior official from the royalist Funcinpec Party said Funcinpec and the Nationalist Party, another royalist party that has splintered from the Funcinpec, have planned to hold a joint national congress on 21st March 2011 in the first step toward a merger before the 2012 commune election and the 2013 national election.

The announcement was made by Mr. Nhiek Bunchhay, General Secretary of Funcinpec, during an interview with Deum Ampil newspaper on Friday morning 5th November. Mr. Nhiek Bunchhay said the two parties had already put in place internal rules and regulations for the future merger. "By laws, we cannot merge yet, but we are making the first steps toward the 2012 commune election and then we will have only a single-party candidate list for the 2013 national election, and we can only merge in 2014", he said.

He said Funcinpec has internal rules and regulations which require the party to hold party presidential election every 5 years.

Responding to questions that former party president Prince Norodom Ranariddh had been invited to return to take up the party presidency, Mr. Nhiek Bunchhay said the party has been actively eyeing a number of prominent party members to take up the position and that the two parties had also considered Prince Ranariddh's candidacy. However, he said the decision whether to accept the offer or not is up to the Prince. But, Prince Ranariddh has been reportedly turned down their offer, saying he is contented with his current job as the throne's privy councillor.

Mr. Nhiek Bunchhay said that he is hopeful that the newly-merged party will be able to gain more parliamentary seats in future elections.

The two royalist parties had begun talks in the last few years for a possible merger and eventually reached an agreement in April 2010 to form some sort of a loose alliance.