The Cambodian People’s Party has again switched up the leadership of its “working group” in Takeo province, previously headed by the late Deputy Prime Minister Sok An.

Initially after Sok An’s death in March, the CPP announced that Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Pol Saroeun, who already heads the party’s grassroots campaigning body in Sihanoukville province, would take on the role.

However, speaking yesterday, CPP spokesman Sok Eysan said the Takeo working group had been given to Bin Chhin, who took over the Council of Ministers after Sok An’s death, and several more of the late party stalwart’s roles.

“[Bin Chhin] was transferred from the Kandal working group to Takeo,” Eysan said. “There is nothing strange about this.”

The CPP’s working group apparatus is a nationwide, thousands-strong network of officials who, depending on their seniority, are assigned a province, district or commune where they are tasked with drumming up support among residents, often in areas where they have family connections.

Explaining the decision, Eysan said Saroeun’s military commitments meant that he was too busy to run the extra working group.

According to some observers, however, under the law Saroeun’s military role should disqualify him entirely from active roles inside the CPP. The party’s leadership, however, has long been stacked with military officials.