Norodom Ranariddh Party denies using King Father's name

PHNOM PENH, 15 May 2012 (Cambodia Herald) – The opposition Norodom Ranariddh Party on Tuesday denied using the name of King Father Norodom Sihanouk to drum up support ahead of commune elections next month.

"The party doesn’t use the King Father’s name in politics," spokesman Pen Songha said. "But we admit that the party identifies as a royalist party and with Sihanoukism."

On the other hand, "we never said that a vote for Norodom Ranariddh is just like a vote for the King Father," he said.

Songha was reacting to comments earlier Tuesday by Prime Minister Hun Sen who asked political parties not to use the King Father's name in the election campaign opening Friday.

"Some people are getting benefits from the father and consider themselves royalists," he said.

Prince Ranariddh, who formed his own political party after being deposed as leader of the royalist party Funcinpec, is a son of Sihanouk and a half brother of King Norodom Sihamoni.

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Hun Sen asks parties not to use Sihanouk's name in campaign 

PHNOM PENH (Cambodia Herald) - Prime Minister Hun Sen asked political parties Tuesday to refrain from using the name of King Father Norodom Sihanouk to drum up support ahead of commune elections next month.

"Some people are getting benefits from the father and consider themselves royalists," he told a religious conference in Phnom Penh.

Hun Sen noted that the royalist Funcinpec and Norodom Ranariddh parties had only four seats in the National Assembly whereas the ruling Cambodian People's Party had 90 seats.

"If someone wants to eliminate royalism, he'll have to go through Hun Sen," he said.

"Using the King Father’s name in the commune election campaign means a contest between the King Father and Hun Sen and would disgrace the king’s honor when they lost."

Campaigning for the commune elections starts on Friday.