Cambodian opposition party not to propose new candidate for post of parliament's 1st vice president

Cambodian opposition deputy leader and ousted parliament's 1st vice president Kem Sokha said Friday evening that the opposition party would not propose a new candidate to replace him in the legislative post.

All 68 lawmakers from the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), including Prime Minister Hun Sen, voted to remove Sokha as the parliament's first vice president on Friday morning, as all 55 opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) lawmakers boycotted the session.

"CNRP leader Sam Rainsy and I had discussed each other and agreed that the CNRP would not propose its new candidate for the position of the first vice president of the National Assembly," Sokha wrote on his Facebook page.

He insisted that his dismissal was made in violation of the Constitution and the political agreement forged by the two parties in July last year.

His announcement came after National Assembly President Heng Samrin wrote a letter to Sam Rainsy, asking him to name a new candidate for the post.

Deputy prime minister and foreign minister Hor Namhong said Friday that Sokha was ousted as the parliament's first vice president because he had used his position to slander and attack the government and to incite people to oppose the government and the CPP.

Sokha became the parliament's first vice president after the CPP and the CNRP struck the political truce in July 2014. Under the deal, the CNRP ended its 10-month long boycott of the parliament following the disputed 2013 elections in exchange for parliamentary power-sharing and electoral reform. Endit