Deposed first prime minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh said Wednesday he and other opposition parties will decide by the end of the month whether they will take part in the forthcoming election, Reuters reported.
“Let’s say from now to the end of April—assessment, clear assessment must be made whether we would have or not by July 26 free, fair and credible elections,’’ the prince was cited as saying in an interview.
“We have already stated that all together, not one by one or one without the other, we will not participate in the elections,’’ he said.
On Wednesday, the prince told The Cambodia Daily he believed there were still many obstacles standing in the way of free and fair elections, such as the human rights situation and a lack of equal access to the media.
The prince spent Thursday closeted in meetings with diplomats and officials as police cleared supporters from outside his hotel a day after they clashed with anti-prince protesters.
A meeting with key party officials was postponed until this morning, a close aide to the prince said, adding that his schedule for this morning was “fully booked.”
No other details of today’s schedule have been released. Aides remained mum, however, on the prince’s departure time and date, although it is widely believed he will fly out to Bangkok today.
In an interview Wednesday, the prince said he was concerned that a long stay in a luxury hotel would send out the wrong message to the public.
“They will say, “Oh, he is very rich, where did Ranariddh get the money?” the prince said. “I am the one prime minister in the world who doesn’t have a house. I don’t know where to go. It’s very traumatic for me.”
The prince’s Phnom Penh home was sacked and looted following factional fighting last July and remains vacant. Aides are reportedly seeking a new residence for the prince.
