PHNOM PENH: An influential former member of the Candlelight Party, Chheng Kimseng, has switched allegiances and joined the Cambodian People’s Party, bringing more than 1,400 new members along with him. The new party members were officially welcomed to the CPP during a ceremony at the party’s headquarters in Phnom Penh on Sunday, 9 April 2023.

Speaking at Sunday morning’s welcoming ceremony at CPP headquarters, former opposition member, Chheng Kimseng, said he wrongly spent 10 years at the Candlelight Party, but now he brings more than 700 former opposition members to join the CPP as they believe the party’s politics and vision are right.

"Having walked the wrong path in the past under the Candlelight Party’s ideology for more than 10 years, on Sunday, 9 April 2023, I, along with 700 former members, have decided to join the Cambodian People's Party under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen, the President of the Cambodian People's Party," he said.

On Sunday afternoon, another welcoming ceremony was held for a second batch of more than 700 former opposition members, led by Chheng Kimseng, joining the CPP.

New CPP member, Chheng Giaksim, has said that she believes only the CPP has the right policies which can benefit the nation.

“I fully support the political program and other statutes of the Cambodian People's Party, therefore, I please ask the Party President to give us consideration and review and allow 700 of us to officially become members," she said.

On the same day of the welcoming ceremonies, the CPP in Phnom Penh also decided to establish a mobile branch of the party with Chheng Kimseng appointed as its branch chairman.

CPP Central Committee Member and Deputy Chairman of the Phnom Penh Municipal Party Committee, Nuon Pharath, welcomed the new CPP members and announced that membership at the party’s Phnom Penh branch has now increased to more than 700,000, exhibiting the CPP’s strength.

"You can see the Cambodian People’s Party is the biggest, strongest, most victorious and most able to seize opportunities to lead the people and the country into the future, so joining the party is one of the best decisions to make," he said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen's personal assistant, Duong Dara, warmly welcomed all new members and said that from now on they will be considered one family under the CPP, showing love and support to all its members like a big family.

Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Personal Adviser, Ly Samet, also delivered a welcoming message on behalf of the party president and added that CPP leadership is focused on peace and political stability. He said he hopes the new members will continue to support the party for the further development of the motherland.

Currently, the CPP boasts more than 700,000 thousand members in Phnom Penh alone, which makes up the overwhelming majority of the 900,000 total registered voters in the capital.