Friday, 25 July 2008

Parties Hone Messages in Campaign Push

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
24 July 2008

Khmer audio aired 24 July 2008 (1.38 MB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired 24 July 2008 (1.38 MB) - Listen (MP3)

During a monthlong election campaign, 11 political parties announced their messages to more than 8 million voters in an effort to gain their support. They promised reform, the elimination of poverty and a return of social justice. They promised to fix inflation, solve land-grabs and sweep away corruption.

But Friday is the last day of the campaign, and in the final hours the nation's five major parties now must consider their most important messages.

You Hockry, Norodom Ranariddh Party secretary-general, said his party was most focused on ending land disputes.

"The Norodom Ranariddh Party must eliminate land disputes to promote people's living standards," he said. "Our party policy is not to increase poverty, but to reduce poverty. So Prince Norodom Ranariddh mainly focuses on policies to give people the right to have land that belongs to them."

The CPP said it was focusing on the issue of natural environment, while the Sam Rainsy Party was focusing on the high prices of goods in the market.

Coalition partner Funcinpec was promoting the reform of the judiciary, by giving full power to the king over the courts.

The Human Rights Party, meanwhile, was focused on anti-corruption legislation and cleaning up corruption "from the top," as well as the declaration of assets.

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