Breaking: Supreme Court rules to dissolve CNRP

CNRP leader Kem Sokha and senior party officials campaign during the June 2017 commune elections. Heng Chivoan

The Supreme Court this evening ruled to dissolve the Cambodia National Rescue Party, ending the only existing electoral threat to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s grip on power in the Kingdom.

The historic ruling will see the opposition party disbanded and also bans 118 of the party’s senior officials from politics for five years - including party president Kem Sokha and exiled former leader Sam Rainsy.

The dissolution comes after a sustained campaign mounted by the government and led by Prime Minister Hun Sen claiming that the CNRP had engaged in a "colour revolution", with the assistance of the United States.

Under new amendments to election laws, the CNRP will lose all 489 of its commune chiefs and all 55 of its seats in the National Assembly.

"The Supreme Court decided to recognise the Interior Ministry's lawsuit and decided to dissolve the CNRP and ban their 118 senior [officials] from joining politics for five years starting from the day of the verdict," said presiding Judge Dith Munty at 5pm.

Updates to follow.

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