The Candlelight Party (CP) will hold an extraordinary congress to determine their strategies and platforms for the upcoming general election. The congress is scheduled for February 11 and will be held in Ampil commune of Siem Reap province’s Prasat Bakong district, said a February 7 announcement.
CP spokesman Kim Sour Phirith said the congress would help shape the party’s policies, strategies and leadership, ahead of the 7th parliamentary election slated for July 23.
“The congress will be attended by party leaders from across the country, so we estimate that at least 5,000 party members will be in attendance,” he said.
He said the congress is aimed at restructuring the party’s leadership to fit the current political situation, as the CP, currently the country’s second-largest party, is planning to reorganise the composition the candidates who will participate in the election.
“We formed our party to contest the election and win enough votes to give us representation in the National Assembly. We won’t find out if we have won or lost until after the ballots have been counted, but we need to be as prepared as possible and make sure the voting environment is favourable,” he said.
Sok Eysan, spokesman for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), declined to comment on the CP’s congress, saying it was an internal CP matter.
“I am waiting to see the central content of the policies that the CP will introduce for the 7th-mandate parliamentary election.
“As always, the CPP will strive to earn the confidence of the people. We encourage the CP to timely register their candidates with the National Election Committee [NEC] to contest the election,” he concluded.
