Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-30 17:01:29|Editor: liuxin

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PHNOM PENH, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodia's Supreme Court will hold a hearing on the dissolution of the country's biggest opposition party on Nov. 16 after its leader Kem Sokha was charged with treason, according to a court letter.

Signed by Supreme Court President Dith Monty on Friday and released to the media on Monday, the letter invited Kem Sokha, jailed president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), to attend the hearing on Nov. 16 at 8:00 a.m. local time.

The letter said the upcoming hearing is related for "the complaint requesting the dissolution of the Cambodia National Rescue Party."

The government lodged a complaint to the Supreme Court, requesting the dissolution of the CNRP on Oct. 6, a month after its leader Kem Sokha was arrested for allegedly plotting the overthrow of the government with the U.S. support. Kem Sokha was charged with treason, the charge that could face up to 30 years in prison.

The CNRP is the main rival to Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), as the Southeast Asian country is gearing up for the national elections in July 2018.

In the last national elections in 2013, the CNRP earned 55 parliamentary seats and the CPP won 68 seats in the 123-seat parliament.

In the commune elections in June, the CNRP received about 3 million votes, or 43.83 percent of the total votes, as the CPP won 3.54 million votes, or 50.76 percent.

The CNRP is currently holding 5,007 commune council seats, including 489 commune chief seats.

Under the kingdom's recently-amended election laws, if the CNRP is dissolved, all its parliamentary seats and commune council seats will be redistributed to other political parties taking part in the elections.