King Norodom Sihamoni signed off on the country’s two new election laws last week in an unpublicized action that entered the controversial pieces of legislation into legal force, an opposition lawmaker said Monday.
“The two laws were signed by the king on March 26, and they both entered into force on the day that the king signed off on the laws,” CNRP spokesman Yem Ponhearith said.
Mr. Ponhearith said he was not sure how King Sihamoni, who is currently in Beijing for a medical checkup, had signed the laws, but said that he had seen the king’s signatures on both laws.
The opposition spokesman also said the laws, which have been labeled as unconstitutional by some civil society groups due to provisions restricting expression during election campaigns, were examined by the Constitutional Council and approved without any amendments.
