Cambodian opposition says talks with ruling party to resume next week

Source:Xinhua Published: 2013-11-1 19:55:19

The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) said Friday that talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party over political dispute will be resumed on Tuesday next week.

"Officials at working group levels of the two parties will meet on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at the Parliament Palace in order to discuss and seek a solution for the current political crisis in Cambodia," CNRP said in a press statement.

The talk resumption came after CNRP's leader Sam Rainsy on Thursday called for dialogues with the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) over the conflict after the hotly-contested July's election.

CNRP's Vice President Kem Sokha said Thursday that the proposed agenda for talks could be a request for probe into alleged poll irregularities and a demand for the resignation of the election council's leadership in order to pave the way for a credibly electoral reform.

However, the CPP has several times denied the election fraud and rejected the request for the poll probe committee, saying it is against the nation's constitution.

Cambodia held a parliamentary election on July 28. The results showed that the long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen's CPP gained the victory, but longtime opposition leader Sam Rainsy's CNRP refused to accept the results, claiming serious poll irregularities.

Despite a boycott of parliament by the opposition's 55 lawmakers-elect, the ruling party's 68 lawmakers-elect voted on Sept. 24 for the formation of a new government under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Sam Rainsy reiterated on Thursday that the current government is "illegitimate" because it was formed in violation of the constitution and his party would continue to boycott parliament unless the poll irregularities are resolved.

But Hun Sen has defended that his government is "legitimate" since the nation's King Norodom Sihamoni had already given the endorsement.


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