Police directing traffic on May 21 in the capital during the kickoff of the campaign for the commune council elections. Heng Chivoan
The Kingdom’s two largest political parties plan to hold major rallies with tens of thousands participants expected on the last day of the Commune Council Election campaigning period, which ends on the afternoon of June 3.
Sok Eysan, spokesman of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CCP), said on May 2 that his party will organise large-scale events nationwide with gatherings in the capital and each of the provinces.
Phnom Penh municipal governor Khuong Sreng, in his capacity as the head of the CPP mission for the capital, said more than 60,000 participants will gather for a rally on Hun Sen Boulevard in Meanchey district. They will then parade through two districts in the capital and move toward Koh Pich Convention and Exhibition Centre for a lunch break before marching through three other districts.
He said the nine other districts will also organise big events locally, with around 3,500 participants in each.
“I believe that through our experiences in serving the people, [CPP] will be successful in all of the 105 communes in Phnom Penh, but we may lose a small number of seats in some different constituencies,” Sreng said.
Son Chhay, vice-president of the Candlelight Party – the second largest with candidates fielded across the country – told The Post on June 2 that his party will mobilise its members and supporters with a crowd of over 30,000 expected in Phnom Penh for a rally on the last day of the campaign.
The participants will gather in Chbar Ampov district along National Road 1 at 7am, then parade through the city toward Chhroy Changvar district near the Sokha Hotel where they will take a lunch break. Then the parade will continue to the Choam Chao roundabout near Phnom Penh International Airport as its endpoint.
“The number of participant on the last day could be more than we had on the first day when there were around 20,000 people in attendance. We expect to have more than 30,000 because so many people have requested caps and t-shirts from us,” he said.
Chhay said the last 13 days of campaigning had gone smoothly without any violence or major problems. He said this could be due to an appeal made by CPP party leaders who urged their followers to show tolerance and understanding for differing viewpoints during the election campaign.
Em Soksovan, head of political affairs for the Cambodian Youth Party, said his party did not plan to hold any large gatherings in Phnom Penh, but instead will hold a big rally in Svay Rieng province with a crowd in the hundreds led by party president Pich Sros.
Royalist FUNCINPEC party spokesman Nhoeun Raden said his party also has no plans to do large campaign rallies in the capital and have instead organised smaller events in each province.
National Election Committee (NEC) spokesman Hang Puthea said the election campaign had generally gone smoothly since it began on May 21, noting that after the controversies of recent years, people now seem more comfortable with participating actively in politics again.
“We have noted many positive points, such as when rival parties used official complaint mechanisms to solve their problems rather than using angry rhetoric or worse behaviour to attack opposing campaigns,” he said.
Separately, the Ministry of Information on June 1 had instructed TV, radio and other media to stop broadcasting commune election campaign advertisements on June 4 to conform to the election laws.
Minister of Interior Sar Kheng – head of the permanent election security command – and NEC chairman Prach Chan have instructed authorities to ensure security and safety in the run-up to the elections.
They issued a statement saying that political parties are not allowed to mobilise their supporters or hold rallies or marches on the day before or day of the elections to avoid causing chaos, warning that any party or candidates who violate election laws will be held responsible under those laws.
