The Cambodian Youth Party (CYP) has gathered the 400 members and 3 million riel (about $750) necessary to register as a political party, its founder said on Friday, adding that he planned to file paperwork with the Interior Ministry on Monday.
Pich Sros, who announced his plans to form the CYP in late December, said the party had some 10,000 supporters across the country.
“We will join the commune elections in 2017 and national election in 2018,” he said. “I hope that we will get some seats in the National Assembly.”
The party’s populist platform emphasizes improving education, raising youth employment and improving living conditions for the country’s poor.
The CYP is one of eight new parties launched in 2015. However, both the ruling CPP and opposition CNRP have said that they are not concerned by the increased competition.
“I am not interested in new parties,” opposition lawmaker Eng Chhay Eang said on Friday. “Our party’s only competition is the ruling party.”
