PHNOM PENH, Aug 6:Cambodian first Prime Minister Norodom Ranariddh, deposed in a coup last month, was formally replaced as premier and stripped of legal immunity today by the national assembly.The legislature installed Foreign Minister Ung Huot, handpicked by coup leader Hun Sen, to succeed Ranariddh who fled the country before the violence erupted on July five.Removing Ranariddh's immunity leaves him vulnerable to criminal prosecution, and Hun Sen has vowed to put him on trial for allegedly reviving the genocidal Khmer Rouge and illegally moving arms and guerrillas into the capital.No credible evidence has emerged that Ranariddh brought Khmer Rouge guerrillas to Phnom Penh.Eighty-six lawmakers voted for Ung Huot, a member of Ranariddh's political party, while four opposed him, six abstained and three ballots were ruled spoiled.A total of 80 votes was needed for the two-thirds majority required by the assembly's procedural rules to replace Ranariddh.The outcome, however, was never in doubt as Hun Sen now exercises near total control over Parliament and the country.The national assembly normally consists of 120 lawmakers, but many who were loyal to Ranariddh have either fled Cambodia, been executed along with their families during a purge of opponents carried out by Hun Sen's men, or been cowed into submission.The formal process of electing a replacement to a leader who was forced from power by violent means was meant to apply a veneer of democratic legitimacy to Hun Sen's bloody takeover, and hopefully satisfy regional allies and foreign aid donors who have denounced the coup.Nonetheless, questions about Ung Huot's legitimacy remain.Lawmakers could offer no legal, procedural or moral explanation for how they could vote to replace Ranariddh when he has never been formally impeached or removed from office by legal means.
