Cambodia's National Assembly Approves Cabinet

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PHNOM PENH 000544 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS; GENEVA FOR RMA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV CB SUBJECT: Cambodia's National Assembly Approves Cabinet Reshuffle and New National Assembly Leadership ¶1. (U) Summary: Cambodia's National Assembly on March 21 approved the Royal Government's nomination of CPP officials Sar Kheng and Tea Banh as Ministers of Interior and Defense respectively, and FUNCINPEC official Nhek Bun Chhay as a Deputy Prime Minister. The ballot also rejected the nomination of FUNCINPEC official, Norodom Sirivudh, as a Deputy Prime Minister. Also during the session the National Assembly approved Heng Samrin and Nguon Nhel from the CPP as the President and the First Vice President of the National Assembly, and You Hockry from FUNCINPEC as the Second Vice President. Chea Sim was re-elected as President of the Senate on March 20. End summary. New NA Leadership Elected -------------- ¶2. (U) In a full session the morning of March 21, the National Assembly voted on the Royal Cambodian Government's proposal nominating Sar Kheng from the CPP to be Minister of Interior, Tea Banh from the CPP to be Minister of Defense, and Prince Norodom Sirivudh and Nhek Bun Chhay, both from FUNCINPEC, as Deputy Prime Ministers. In the confidential vote, Sar Kheng received 111 votes, 110 supported Tea Banh, and Nhek Bun Chhay got 106 votes. Sirivudh, who was not present, received only 17 votes supporting his nomination, with 90 opposed, 2 abstentions, and 2 invalid votes. The reshuffle came after Prime Minister Hun Sen in early March announced his intent to abolish the system of co-Ministers for Defense and Interior to improve governmental efficiency. ¶3. (U) Following the cabinet change vote, the National Assembly voted on its leadership. In a secret ballot, Heng Samrin from the CPP received 110 votes to become the new President of the National Assembly. Nguon Nhel from the CPP received 107 votes for First Vice President, and You Hockry from FUNCINPEC got 96 votes to become the Second Vice President. The vote for leadership of the NA followed Prince Ranariddh's resignation as NA president in early March after PM Hun Sen criticized the party for corruption, nepotism, mistresses, and incompetence. FUNCINPEC originally nominated Princess Vacheara, Sirivudh's sister and Ranariddh's aunt, as its candidate for the Second Vice President post. When FUNCINPEC officials realized that the CPP would not support Vacheara's nomination because of her 
outspoken criticism of Hun Sen, the royalist party nominated You Hockry. You Hockry said he was delighted for the new post, and that it was higher than he expected. Following the voting acting NA President Heng Samrin said the National Assembly was pleased that Cambodia could resolve problems peacefully and democratically. ¶4. (U) With the NA's vote, Sirivudh, a leading FUNCINPEC official as well as a senior member of royal family, loses his position in the RGC and holds no key position in his own party. Nhek Bun Chhay said Sirivudh's loss of government position would cause some problems for FUNCINPEC, without elaborating what those problems might be, but stressed that they would not be too serious. Talking to reporters outside the National Assembly, You Hockry blamed FUNCINPEC's failure on the 50 percent plus one formula. After going down from 58 NA seats in 1993 to 48 in 1998, and finally to 26 seats in the 2003 elections, You Hockry said FUNCINPEC needs to acknowledge its failure and called on party officials to strengthen the party. (Note: A March 22 press report indicates that Sirivudh has relinquished his role as FUNCINPEC's interim President during Ranariddh's absence to FUNCINPEC Secretary General Nhek Bun Chhay. The reason stems from Sirivudh's plans to travel with King Sihamoni outside Cambodia. End Note.) ¶5. (U) Asked by reporters if the removal of Sirivudh from the government was part of a trend to remove members of the royal family from the political arena, opposition leader Sam Rainsy said it was an individual case that could not be considered a general trend for FUNCINPEC. SRP MP Son Chhay said members of royal family should stay away from political involvement to protect image of the royal family. Royals should promote social activities to benefit the people rather than get involved in politics, he said. Prince Vacheara, by contrast, told reporters that the CPP and SRP are trying to remove royal family members from politics as a prelude to getting rid of the monarchy. New Senate Officers Elected -------------- ¶6. (U) The Senate approved its President and two Vice PHNOM PENH 00000544 002 OF 002 Presidents in its first session on March 20, which was presided over by King Norodom Sihamoni. The new Senate re- elected Chea Sim, Senator and the President of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) as the President of the Senate; H.E. Tep Ngorn, Senator from the CPP, as the First Vice President; and Sisowath Chivan Monirak of FUNCINPEC as the Second Vice President. Of 61 secret ballots cast by attending senators, Chea Sim received 60 votes. Tep Ngorn was elected as the First Vice President with 53 votes in favor, 5 votes against his nomination and 2 abstentions. Chivan Monirak, former First Vice President of the Senate, received 51 votes in favor and 10 opposed. ¶7. (SBU) FUNCINPEC nominees for the Second Vice President were reshuffled in the lead up to the election of Sisiwath Chivan Monirak. Originally, Ranariddh appointed Prince Norodom Chakrapong as the candidate, but FUNCINPEC officials, particularly Nhek Bun Chhay, objected. Por Bun Sreu was another FUNCINPEC nominee for the Second Vice President, but he reportedly withdrew his candidacy prior to the vote, paving the way for the election of Sisowath Chivan Monirak. ¶8. (SBU) Comment: Senior members of the royal family continue to lose key positions in both the government and the party. The CPP, both directly and indirectly, is working to distance members of the royal family from key positions within the government as well as within the FUNCINPEC party structure. This is not new; previously, the CPP discussed passage of a law that would ban royal family members from participating in politics. Recently, this topic has resurfaced among CPP supporters. The current anti- FUNCINPEC campaign being undertaken by the PM is not directed so much at the party, but at individual royal family members. It will be interesting to see how former King Sihanouk handles FUNCINPEC senior officials during his upcoming visit in May. End Comment. MUSSOMELI