The coalition royalist group Funcinpec has ousted a member of parliament it accused of defecting to the Norodom Ranariddh Party, in a high-profile split that highlights a growing rift between royalist parties.
Funcinpec was handed a sound drubbing in April’s commune polls, but Prime Minister Hun Sen claims he will stick with the party for next year’s national parliamentary elections. That will likely lead to more political maneuvering within the different parties, as the NRP emerges to compete with Funcinpec for royalist votes.
