The Phnom Penh Election Committee (PPEC) said Tuesday that it would mediate discussions between City Hall and the CNRP after the municipality last week lodged a complaint over the opposition’s commune election campaign.
This is not a big problem,” said Long Chhengkai, director of the PPEC. “So the CNRP and City Hall should not try to make a big fire out of this. I just want them to compromise.”
The City Hall complaint was lodged after CNRP supporters tossed aside a police barricade during a campaign march on Friday and walked toward Freedom Park, away from their approved route.
Phnom Penh deputy governor Khuong Sreng said he would be open to sitting down to discuss the breaches with the CNRP but that the PPEC would first have to make a call on whether the opposition demonstration had violated election laws.
The National Election Committee said Tuesday it had received 15 new complaints after Sunday’s vote. It said that eight CPP and seven CNRP commune councilors had complained after their ballots were deemed invalid.
The CNRP released a statement Tuesday saying that it would resume talks with the CPP tomorrow in a renewed bid to break the political deadlock.
