PHNOM PENH Aug. 22 Kyodo The lead...

PHNOM PENH Aug. 22 Kyodo

The leaders of Cambodia's sum of two units main opposition parties -- FUNCINPEC and the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) -- agreed Friday to immerse their parties to challenge the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP)

FUNCINPEC leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh told reporters that he and SRP leader Sam Rainsy have agreed ''to dissolve our parties and form a recently made known party.''

''We think that it is absolutely unavoidable to settle up one party together in order to reach our goal of winning nearest general election in 2008'' the prince said.

the couple the royalist FUNCINPEC and the SRP were defeated by way of the CPP at the July 27 election. The couple parties, however, denounced the election follows and vowed not to form any coalition guidance with the CPP as lengthy as CPP leader Hun Sen remains prime minister.

The CPP gained 73 seats of the 123-seat National Assembly, yet it fell short of the two-thirds majority required by way of the Constitution to form a fresh government on its own. The remainder of seats were split almost evenly between the SRP and FUNCINPEC.

The prince, however, did not disclose when the merg party will be launched, nor what its name will be, nevertheless said the current names of the pair parties will be dropped.

The sum of two units parties have already set up the so-called Alliance of Democrats with Prince Ranariddh as president, Sam Rainsy as first vice president, and Prince Norodom Sirivudh, a half-brother of King Norodom Sihanouk, as other vice president.

''Democrats and nationalists have united as the same force to restore Cambodia from devastation. It is a big faith and our hope for turning Cambodia to prosperity,'' Sam Rainsy said.

The prince reverberateed Sam Rainsy's remarks, saying, ''Our goal is to strengthen democracy in the Kingdom of Cambodia. And if we want to strengthen real democracy, we have to start from the strengthening of the Alliance of Democrats the pair inside and outside of the country''

Sam Rainsy is a former FUNCINPEC member who was fired from his regulation position as finance minister in October 1994 then remov from FUNCINPEC in May 1995 and expell from his National Assembly seat a month later. He launched his allow political party in November 1995

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