Parties Hone Messages in Campaign Push
In the final hours of the campaign, the five major parties now must consider their most important messages. (24 July 2008)
During a monthlong election campaign, 11 political partiesannounced their messages to more than 8 million voters in an effort to gaintheir support. They promised reform, the elimination of poverty and a return ofsocial justice. They promised to fix inflation, solve land-grabs and sweep awaycorruption. But Friday is the last day of the campaign, and in the finalhours the nation's five major parties now must consider their most important messages. You Hockry, Norodom Ranariddh Party secretary-general, saidhis party was most focused on ending land disputes. "The Norodom Ranariddh Party must eliminate landdisputes to promote people's living standards," he said. "Our partypolicy is not to increase poverty, but to reduce poverty. So Prince NorodomRanariddh mainly focuses on policies to give people the right to have land thatbelongs to them." The CPP said it was focusing on the issue of naturalenvironment, while the Sam Rainsy Party was focusing on the high prices ofgoods in the market. Coalition partner Funcinpec was promoting the reform of thejudiciary, by giving full power to the king over the courts. The Human Rights Party, meanwhile, was focused on anti-corruptionlegislation and cleaning up corruption "from the top," as well as thedeclaration of assets.