Saturday, 4 October 2008

Ministers from Cambodian ruling party to resign parliamentary positions

Mathaba
2008/10/04
From: MNN

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced that the lawmakers from the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) who hold both government posts and seats in the National Assembly will resign their parliamentary positions and concentrate on their ministerial responsibilities, national media reported Friday.

"If we keep them in two positions it will be difficult for them to stand with one leg in the National Assembly and the other one in the government," Hun Sen was quoted as saying in the Phnom Penh Post.

"I have already signed off on (a letter) to the National Election Committee (NEC) regarding the replacements," Hun Sen said.

Hun Sen named the resigned parliamentarians as Minister of Rural Development Chea Sophara, Minister of Information and government spokesman Khieu Kanharith, Minister of Education, Youthand Sports Im Sethy, Minister of Environment Mok Mareth, and Minister of Social Affairs Ith Sam Heng.

Nguon Nhel, the first deputy president of the National Assembly, said that a total of 40 CPP parliamentarians holding dual positions or being considered for fresh government posts were in line to be replaced.

"Such replacements are the strategy of Hun Sen," he told the Post Thursday, adding that "we have already approved the names of the candidates."

Meanwhile, the three Human Rights Party (HRP) parliamentarians who boycotted the Sept. 24 swearing-in of the new Assembly will have the chance to be sworn-in in a separate session with the replacement CPP parliamentarians.

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