LDP Major Campaign Rallies Mark Election Run-Up

Campaigning for the 2013 general parliamentary elections opened on Thursday, as political parties held rallies and began vying for the votes of some 9 million Cambodians. The ruling Cambodian People’s Party gathered about 10,000 supporters, who marched through the capital together for a while, then dispersed into smaller groups to spread through the city’s neighborhoods, spreading the party’s message of national solidarity and security. Just outside the capital, in Kandal province, a rally for the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party gathered near the home of Prime Minister Hun Sen, where supporters were strongly critical of the ruling party’s policies. Meanwhile, about 1,000 young Cambodian voters, supporters of the League of Democracy Party, began their own campaigning, by passing out leaflets through the city. Parties have 30 days to campaign. Election Day is July 28. (Khuon Theara, Phnom Penh)