Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy, MP and Philippine Senator Franklin Drilon will lead the launch of International Parliamentary Committee for Democratic Elections in Cambodia (IPCDEC) in Manila next week.   

IPCDEC is a gathering of like-minded parliamentarians all over the world united in expressing their solidarity to promote full and inclusive democracy in Cambodia.  Senator Drilon is the IPCDEC Chairperson.     

In the IPCDEC launch, MP Sam, who has been in exile in France for more than a year now, will speak on the recent political developments in his country ahead of crucial parliamentary elections in July 2013.  Senator Drilon, on the other hand, will discuss the role of international community in ensuring that the said elections meet international standards and genuinely empower the Cambodian people to make free and informed choices.

Senator Drilon previously served as Chairperson of Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), a network of liberal and democratic political parties in Asia which MP Sam now chairs.      

The IPCDEC launch will be held on Monday, 10 September 2012.  A press conference will follow the launch.     

Philippine Presidential Adviser for the Environment, Dr. Neric Acosta, who is also the CALD Secretary General, will moderate the event.

The event is organized in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Philippine Office.