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Opposition Calls for More Talks on Election Reform


Opposition officials say they want to return to the negotiating table with the ruling party to continue talks on election reform.
Opposition officials say they want to return to the negotiating table with the ruling party to continue talks on election reform.

Opposition officials say they want to return to the negotiating table with the ruling party to continue talks on election reform.

Both sides are at odds over how the National Election Committee, a critical government body that oversees elections, would be selected and approved in parliament.

The ruling party wants a simple majority vote, while the opposition wants a two-thirds vote for approval.

Kem Sokha, vice president of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, said Wednesday the two sides should resume talks “to make a final decision.”

Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that his Cambodian People’s Party would not consider a two-thirds vote.

The opposition has boycotted the government since July 2013 elections it says were unfair and marred by fraud.

Chheang Von, a negotiator and lawmaker for the CPP, said he too thinks the two sides should return to talks. “But the opposition should not request a two-thirds majority to vote on the election body,” he said. “If they raise the same formula, it will be struck down again.”

Political analyst Lao Mong Hay said the two sides should find a new formula that they can agree on. The main point is that the NEC is not lopsided with political supporters for one party or another, he said.

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