CNRP Next: 3 Day Protest

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni will convene the first National Assembly session on Sept. 23 after the official election results were confirmed Sunday that Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party won an absolute majority of vote.
"I will invite all elect-lawmakers in the fifth legislature of the National Assembly for the first session on Sept. 23 at the National Assembly Palace," the King said in a royal message to Im Suosdey, president of the National Election Committee (NEC), on Monday.
Sihamoni has been in Beijing since Aug. 12 for a routine medical checkup and is scheduled to return on Wednesday.
The NEC released the final election results on Sunday, showing that the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Hun Sen got 68 seats and the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) of long- time opposition leader Sam Rainsy took the remaining 55 seats.
But the opposition rejected the results, claiming that its party should win 63 seats, with the CPP receiving 60 seats if alleged irregularities during the poll were fairly resolved.
The CNRP said it would call a massive non-violent protest for three consecutive days starting on Sept.15 at the capital's Freedom Park and it would boycott the first session of the National Assembly if an independent probe committee was not formed to look into alleged poll irregularities.
"There will be a series of demonstrations. They will be larger because we will mobilize people who are not happy with the results of the election," Sam Rainsy told a press conference on Sunday. " The peaceful protests could last for days--both at daytime and nighttime."