The ruling Cambodian People’s Party promoted two officials to new positions within the legislature, a CPP official said yesterday, a day after the National Election Committee released the official results of this year’s senate election.

Senior CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said that National Assembly Second Deputy President Say Chhum would be appointed First Deputy President of the Senate, while lawmaker and chairperson of the National Assembly’s human rights and complaints commission, Khoun Sodary, would be promoted to Say Chhum’s former position.

“To have gender [balance] we have selected her Excellency Khoun Sodary,” he said.

Say Chhum will take his new post at the first senate session, which must occur within 60 days of the January 29 senate election.

The position was formerly held by the Funcinpec party, which did not nominate candidates for this year’s senate election.

Yim Sovann, spokesman for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, said the change was an internal CPP matter and would make no difference in the government’s day-to-day operations.

“This is just distribution for the CPP members,” he said. “Unless [parliament] has real independence, until it is not under the power of any individual, it will not change.”

Meanwhile on Saturday, the National Election Committee released official results of the senate elections which took place on January 29, which matched preliminary results showing the CPP had attained 46 seats and SRP 11 seats.