Cambodian parties hold parades as election campaign begins
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The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) as well as the opposition Sam Rainsy and Human Rights parties launched their campaigns for next month's commune elections with parades today.
About 10,000 CPP activists gathered at Koh Pich for a speech by Municipal governor Kep Chuktema, who chairs the Phnom Penh branch of the party. The speech was to be followed by a parade with 132 vehicles and 2,027 motorcyles.
Party officials said the parade was expected to pass through all nine districts and 96 sangkats (communes) in the capital.
Elsewhere in Phnom Penh, Sam Rainsy Party activists gathered at a park in front of Wat Botoum for a separate parade.
About 300 activists from the Human Rights Party meanwhile gathered at party headquarters in Toul Kok district. A parade joined by party president Kem Sokha was planned with 25 trucks, 10 cars and 80 motorcycles, party officials said.
The campaign by 10 parties is scheduled to last for two weeks.The seven other parties contesting the elections are the Norodom Ranariddh Party, Funcinpec, the League for Democracy Party, the Khmer National Party of Cambodia, the Democratic Movement Party, the Democratic Republican Party and the Khmer Anti-Poverty Party.
The first national elections was administered by United Nations Transitional Authority for Cambodia in July 1993. The first commune-level election was held in February 2002 and the Cambodian Senate was elected for the first time by the elected commune council officials in January 2006.
