Opposition parties prepare for new National Salvation Party

PHNOM PENH, 14 August 2012 (Cambodia Herald) - The Sam Rainsy Party and the Human Rights Party are preparing members to join a new opposition party to be known as the National Salvation Party, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Pol Horm (pictured), spokesman for the Human Rights Party and the Democratic Movement for National Salvation, also said that Sam Rainsy would be the leader of the new party.

"We plan to register the new party soon," he said. "To create the new party, we are now preparing 80 members from the Human Rights Party and the Sam Rainsy Party.

"We cannot dissolve the two parties since we have seats in National Assembly, the Senate and district and commune councils so we will choose only those who don’t have positions.

"When the elections come, lawmakers in the National Assembly will leave to become representatives of the new party."

Pol Horm said the new party would choose seven "temporary" leaders from among the 80 members and then hold a congress to prepare documents for the Ministry of Interior.

Sam Rainsy will be president of the new party while Human Rights Party president Kem Sokha will be vice president, the spokesman said.

Under the political party law approved in 1997, at least 80 citizens who are at least 18 years old can form a political party by sending a letter to the Ministry of Interior.

A new party has to choose a committee of at least seven members who are at least 25 years to prepare documents to validate the party.