EU suspends support for Cambodian election body

Phnom Penh (dpa) - The European Union has suspended its financial support for Cambodia‘s electoral supervisory body, saying upcoming elections are "illegitimate" in light of the recent dissolution of the main opposition party, local media reported on Wednesday.The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which was disbanded by the Supreme Court last month, was widely seen as the sole serious contender to challenge the rule of Prime Minister Hun Sen in the 2018 parliamentary elections.It won 44.5 per cent of the vote in disputed 2013 elections and 43.8 per cent in local elections that were held in June."An electoral process from which the main opposition party has been arbitrarily excluded cannot be seen as legitimate," a statement released by the EU Delegation to Cambodia read. National Election Committee (NEC) deputy secretary Som Sorida told dpa the committee was "disappointed" with the EU‘s decision to suspend its funding due to the dissolution of the CNRP, which he said were "two different things."The NEC has the unwavering support of Japan, Korea and China, Sorida added.The EU is the second supporter of the Cambodian electoral process to suspend its funding for the upcoming ballot. The US announced it was withdrawing its support for the NEC last month, citing the same reasons.A representative of the EU Delegation to Cambodia was not available for comment.