Leaders of the Social Justice Party have announced plans to merge with the royalist Norodom Ranariddh Party, in a move set to be approved at the SJP party congress next month.

SJP president Ban Sophal said yesterday the party’s leaders had decided on the in-principle plan but were set to discuss the idea with an estimated 200 to 300 members at an upcoming meeting.

The planned merger, he said, had been spurred by the apparent centrist stance of the Royalist NRP. The SJP were previously partners of the Khmer Anti-Poverty Party. “We want [to join] a party that has a centrist stance. If [the] government does something wrong, we would give them ideas. We will not absolutely oppose everything,” Ban Sophal said.

NRP spokesman, Pen Sangha, said he was pleased by the proposal. “We support and welcome everyone who has nationalist vision to serve the nation together. Although the [Social Justice] party is small, we still receive a boost from merging,” he said.  

Earlier this month, the NRP suggested entering a coalition with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party after the 2013 election.