The three main political parties agreed Wednesday to form a tripartite government and accepted Hun Sen’s nomination for prime minister, ending a standoff that has lasted more than three months.
Party officials announced the conditions of their agreement after a five-hour meeting with King Norodom Sihanouk at the Royal Palace.
“We agreed that the government should be tripartite…and we accept that the CPP has the right to nominate the prime minister,” Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Ung Bun-Ang told reporters outside the Royal Palace.
“The nomination is still the same: That is, Mr Hun Sen,” he said.
The announcement came a day after Funcinpec and the Sam Rainsy Party’s Alliance of Democrats repeated its vow to push for Hun Sen’s ouster.
Following the July 27 general election, it has refused to form a coalition government with the CPP as long as Hun Sen remains prime minister.
But, Ung Bun-Ang said, “We have not compromised yet.”
Hun Sen still must secure a two-thirds vote of confidence in the National Assembly before he can be sworn in as the new prime minister—an event that cannot be guaranteed, Ung Bun-Ang said.
“He is going to have a tough time” trying to persuade parliamentarians to vote for him, he said. “He has been in power for a long time. Some of his records are not that brilliant.”
Under the agreement, Funcinpec President Prince Norodom Ranariddh will become the new president of the National Assembly, officials at the meeting said. But they said no decision was made as to opposition leader Sam Rainsy’s position, although he was offered the post of deputy prime minister.
According to a three-party joint communique that was handwritten by the King, “The CPP accepts that Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh (not another Funcinpecist) be President of the National Assembly if Samdech Hun Sen is accepted as prime minister” of the government.
Last week, Prince Ranariddh repeated an earlier statement that he did not want to be Assembly president for another term.
Funcinpec officials who were present at the meeting, as well as party spokesman Kassie Neou, declined to comment.
Hun Sen adviser Om Yentieng praised the outcome of the discussions.
“This morning’s meeting got very good results. Through this meeting we have seen clearly the undeniable role being played by His Majesty the King, who has the brilliant idea and wisdom in mediating the meeting,” Om Yentieng said.
King Sihanouk brokered the past two post-election disputes in 1993 and 1998.
A broadcast of part of the meeting Wednesday night on Bayon TV showed the King’s son Prince Norodom Sihamoni sitting behind the King and nodding attentively as the King spoke.
Om Yentieng, who attended the negotiations, said the new government will include four deputy prime minister positions: Two from the CPP and one each from Funcinpec and the Sam Rainsy Party. The current government has only two deputy prime ministers.
Om Yentieng said he was optimistic that the three parties would be able to set aside their differences in the new government.
“It’s not difficult for Prime Minister Hun Sen or the CPP to work with other people in such a tripartite government,” he said.
In the joint statement, the three parties also agreed to create a third vice president position in the Assembly.
The statement says the first vice president would be Heng Samrin, the CPP’s honorary president, and the second would be CPP parliamentarian Nguon Nhel. It says the third vice president position would be filled by a member of the Sam Rainsy Party who is yet to be determined.
The formation of the new Assembly could occur within days or weeks, Ung Bun-Ang said.
Party officials said they would immediately form two committees, one to discuss the leadership and internal regulations of the Assembly and another to draft the new government’s policies.
The Assembly task force will include CPP Secretary-General Say Chhum, Funcinpec parliamentarian Kol Pheng, and Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Son Chhay, they said.
Meanwhile, the government task force will be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng, Funcinpec Secretary-General Prince Norodom Sirivudh, and Sam Rainsy Party Senator Ou Bunlong.
The number of ministerial positions in the new government and party allocation of those positions were not announced.
By adopting a three-party government, there would cease to be an opposition party, King Sihanouk wrote in the communique.
“The ‘opposition’ in the National Assembly will exist on the level of ‘individual.’ That means that there will not certainly be one or two opposition parties but each deputy will be free to question, critique, counsel, guide” the government, King Sihanouk wrote.
Due to their progress in the negotiations, a second three-party meeting, which the King had scheduled for Nov 13, will not be necessary, Ung Bun-Ang said.
Several people in Phnom Penh said they were pleased that the politicians had put an end to the deadlock.
“As citizens, we are very happy that the political problem was solved today. This is a very good sign for our nation,” said 36-year-old Sat Muon, who was strolling in front of the Royal Palace.
“We need stability and peace, and no need to hear one killing after the next as we have lately.”
At Ky, a 45-year-old farmer from Prey Veng province, said, “That’s great our big people agreed to work together in the new coalition. They should have solved problems a long time ago and not let Khmer people get killed.”
But, he said, the politicians should be reminded of the promises that they made to voters during their election campaigns.
“The new government should do better work than the last one. They must stop the killings in the street, stop robbery and better develop the country,” At Ky said. “Help give us enough dams and reservoirs for us to farm better. Please find us jobs and markets or many rural people will flock to the city.”
Some political analysts regarded the outcome of Wednesday’s meeting with cautious optimism.
“I hope that the three parties are really going forth to find ways to take care of state affairs,” said Chea Vannath, president of the Center for Social Development.
But, she said: “I don’t expect any smooth implementation…. I expect a lot of problems dealing with each other.”
Kao Kim Hourn, executive director for the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace said: “I think the democratic process is not always easy, is not always smooth.”
“We’ve never had a three-party coalition in the past two terms. It doesn’t hurt to try,” he said.
Heide Bronke, spokeswoman for the US Embassy, also expressed pleasure about the news of the agreement.
“We are pleased to see a step forward in the formation of the Cambodian government,” she said.
