PHNOM PENH (Cambodia Herald) - The Norodom Ranariddh Party appointed secretary general Sao Rany as acting president Monday to succeed Chhim Seak Leng who quit Saturday after Prince Norodom Ranariddh withdrew from politics.
The royalist party also appointed Pheng Heng as deputy secretary general ahead of a planned merger with Funcinpec, the royalist party the prince used to lead.
Sao Rany said a congress would be held on August 24 to rename the party, with all remaining members joining Funcinpec the following day.
"They chose me as acting president of the party," he said. ៉"I have asked Deputy Secretary General Pheng Heng and the congress to rename the party as the Nationalist Party."
Sao Rany said the renamed party would end its life in 2017, when the next commune elections take place. He said earlier that the party still had commune and district councillors as well as two seats in the National Assembly.
Ranariddh announced Friday he was retiring from politics for the second time. He first quit politics after being ousted from Funcinpec in 2006 for selling the party headquarters. He later returned to set up his own royalist party.
