The politics of Cambodia are defined within the framework of a constitutional monarchy,in which the king serves as the head of state,and the prime minister is the head of government. The collapse of communism set in motion events that led to the withdrawal of the Vietnamese armed forces,which had established their presence in the country since the fall of the Khmer Rouge. The 1993 constitution,which is currently in force,was promulgated as a result of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements,followed by elections organized under the aegis of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia. The constitution declares Cambodia to be an "independent,sovereign,peaceful,permanently neutral and non-aligned country." The constitution also proclaims a liberal,multiparty democracy in which powers are devolved to the executive,the judiciary and the legislature. However,there is no effective opposition to the Prime Minister Hun Sen,who has been in power from 1984 up to 2023. His Cambodian People's Party won all 125 seats in the National Assembly in 2018 after the banning of opposition party CNRP and KNLF. KNLF became a main opposition exiled in Denmark after CNRP was dissolved. During the communal election in 2022 and the national election in 2023,there were no international observers. The government is considered to be autocratic.
After the fall of the Pol Pot regime of Democratic Kampuchea,Cambodia was under Vietnamese occupation and a pro-Hanoi government,the People's Republic of Kampuchea,was established. A civil war raged during the 1980s opposing the government's Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Armed Forces against the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea,a government in exile composed of three Cambodian political factions:Prince Norodom Sihanouk's FUNCINPEC party,the Party of Democratic Kampuchea and the Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF).
Samdech Hun Sen is a Cambodian politician and former military commander who served as the prime minister of Cambodia from 1985 to 2023. He is the longest-serving head of government in Cambodia's history. He is the president of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP),which has governed Cambodia since 1979,and a member of the National Assembly for Kandal. His full honorary title is Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen.
The National United Front for an Independent,Neutral,Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia,commonly referred to as FUNCINPEC,is a royalist political party in Cambodia. Founded in 1981 by Norodom Sihanouk,it began as a resistance movement against the People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) government. In 1982,it formed a resistance pact with the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK),together with the Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF) and the Khmer Rouge. It became a political party in 1992.
The Candlelight Party is a liberal party in Cambodia. The party was a member of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats,Liberal International,and the Alliance of Democrats. It is the largest opposition party in Cambodia,and the main challenger to the ruling Cambodian People's Party. The party,which would have been the only competitive opposition party to the CPP,was disqualified from running in the 2023 election by the National Election Committee despite previously being permitted to participate in the 2022 local elections. The party resumed political activity in October 2021 after having been inactive since 2012.
Norodom Ranariddh was a Cambodian prince,politician and law academic. He was the second son of King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and a half-brother of King Norodom Sihamoni. Ranariddh was the president of FUNCINPEC,a Cambodian royalist party. He was also the first Prime Minister of Cambodia following the restoration of the monarchy,serving between 1993 and 1997,and subsequently as the President of the National Assembly between 1998 and 2006.
Norodom Chakrapong is a Cambodian politician,businessman and former major-general of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. He is the fourth son of Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and also a half-brother of the current king,Norodom Sihamoni. Chakrapong started his career as a military pilot in 1963. After Sihanouk was overthrown in 1970,Chakrapong spent time under house arrest,then in Beijing as the Head of Protocol of then-Prince Sihanouk,afterwards living overseas before he joined the Funcinpec in 1981 and fought against Vietnamese occupation as a commander of the Armée Nationale Sihanoukiste. In 1991,Chakrapong left Funcinpec to join the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia between 1992 and 1993. When the CPP lost the 1993 general elections,Chakrapong led a secession attempt in 1993. In 1994,he was accused of joining a failed coup attempt which led him to be sent into exile. After Chakrapong was pardoned in 1998,he founded a private airline company,Royal Phnom Penh Airways. The airlines later stopped all operations in early 2006.
Kem Sokha is a Cambodian politician and activist who most recently served as the President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). He served as the Minority Leader,the highest-ranking opposition parliamentarian,of the National Assembly from December 2016 to January 2017,and previously as the First Vice President of the National Assembly from August 2014 to October 2015. He represented Kampong Cham as its Member of Parliament (MP) from 2008 to 2017. From 2007 to 2012,Kem was the leader of the Human Rights Party,which he founded.
Cambodia does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions,but does recognize a registry program known as the "declaration of family relationship",offering limited legal rights to same-sex couples. As of June 2021,the registry has been introduced in 68 communes. Same-sex marriage has received support from King Norodom Sihamoni and his late father,King Norodom Sihanouk.
Mu Sochua is a Cambodian politician and rights activist. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Battambang from 2013 to 2017,a seat which she previously held from 1998 to 2003. She was a member and Vice President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) until its dissolve,and previously a member of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) prior to its merger with the Human Rights Party. As a member of FUNCINPEC,she also served as Minister of Women and Veterans' Affairs in Hun Sen's coalition government from 1998 to 2004. She is currently one of 118 senior opposition figures serving a five-year ban from politics following a court ruling on 16 November 2017.
The 1997 Cambodian coup d'état took place in Cambodia from July to September 1997. As a result,co-premier Hun Sen ousted the other co-premier Norodom Ranariddh. At least 32 people were killed during the coup.
General elections were held in Cambodia on 1 May 1981 and marked the establishment of the new,Vietnamese-backed,state of the People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK). The Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party was the only party to contest the election,and won all 117 seats. Voter turnout was reported to be 97.8%.
General elections were held in Cambodia on 26 July 1998. The result was a victory for the Cambodian People's Party (CPP),which won 64 of the 122 seats,resulting in its leader Hun Sen becoming Prime Minister. Opposition parties sought a recount and claimed there had been irregularities,claims supported by many international observers. Voter turnout was 93.7%.
General elections were held in Cambodia on 28 July 2013. The National Election Committee (NEC) announced that some 9.67 million Cambodians were eligible to cast their ballots to elect the 123-seat National Assembly. Voter turnout was reported to be 69.6%,a record low for a general election. Polling precincts opened 7:00 a.m. and closed at 3:00 p.m. The Cambodian Minister of Information,Khieu Kanharith announced in preliminary results that the Cambodian People's Party won 68 seats and the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party won all the remaining 55 seats. This election marked the largest seat loss by the Cambodian People's Party to date,and their lowest share of seats since 1998.
The Cambodia National Rescue Party was a major political party in Cambodia. It was founded in 2012 as a merger between the Sam Rainsy Party and Human Rights Party.
The Community of Royalist People's Party was a Cambodian political party that lasted from March 2014 until January 2015. It was founded and led by Norodom Ranariddh,who had been ousted from FUNCINPEC back in 2006. Ideologically a royalist party,the CRPP drew its inspiration from the political legacy of the former King of Cambodia,Norodom Sihanouk,and competed for its voter base with both FUNCINPEC and the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). In January 2015,the CRPP was dissolved when Ranariddh returned to FUNCINPEC.
Communal elections were held in Cambodia on Sunday,4 June 2017. The National Election Committee (NEC) announced that some 7.8 million of 9.6 million eligible Cambodians were registered to cast their ballots. 94,595 candidates from 12 political parties contested the 11,572 commune council seats in 1,646 communes of Cambodia. Voter turnout was a record 90.37%. There were concerns surrounding some irregularities in the polling.
Senate elections were held in Cambodia on 25 February 2018 after being postponed from 14 January 2018. For the first time,the Senate and parliamentary elections occurred in the same year. The result was a victory for the CPP,which won all 58 seats. King Norodom Sihamoni nominated Princess Norodom Arunrasmy and Oum Somanin to the Senate.
General elections were held in Cambodia on 23 July 2023 to elect members of the National Assembly. The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) held all seats in parliament prior to the elections.
Norodom Chakravuth is a Cambodian politician,member of the Cambodian royal family and the current president of the FUNCINPEC.
17.0%
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