Brief background of the political setting of Cambodia

1. Political Setting:
Cambodia
Reported by:
Stephanie E. Ortiz
(BSEd 3-A, Group 8)

2. Political Setting:
Cambodia
• A monarchy ruled Cambodia
from ancient times until 1970,
surviving under a French
protectorate from 1863 to 1953.
In 1970 a right-wing coup ended
the monarchy, and the coup’s
leaders established the Khmer

3. Political Setting:
Cambodia
Republic. A civil war ensued, and
in 1975 a Communist-dominated
insurgency movement known as
the Khmer Rouge, or Red
Khmers, took control of
Cambodia. Renamed Democratic
Kâmpŭchéa (DK), the country

4. Political Setting:
Cambodia
waged war against neighboring
Vietnam starting in 1977. The
Khmer National United Front for
National Salvation (KNUFNS), a
group of Cambodian Communist
rebels backed by more than
100,000 Vietnamese troops,

5. Political Setting:
Cambodia
deposed the Khmer Rouge in
1979 and established the pro-
Vietnamese regime of the
Peoples’ Republic of Kâmpŭchéa
(PRK). However, only a few
foreign governments recognized
the PRK as Cambodia’s

6. Political Setting:
Cambodia
legitimate government, and the
DK retained Cambodia’s seat in
the United Nations (UN) until
1990.

7. Political Setting:
Cambodia
Vietnam stationed troops in
Cambodia throughout the 1980s.
During this time, the
Kâmpŭchéan People’s
Revolutionary Party (KPRP), the
only legal political party, ran the
PRK on socialist principles. After

8. Political Setting:
Cambodia
Vietnam withdrew its troops in
1989, the PRK renamed itself the
State of Cambodia (SOC),
abandoned socialism, and
introduced free-market reforms.
Fighting between the forces of
the PRK and the DK, which had

9. Political Setting:
Cambodia
reached a stalemate during the
Vietnamese occupation, flared
up again. The KPRP changed its
name to the Cambodian People’s
Party (CPP) in 1991.

10. Political Setting:
Cambodia
International negotiations under
UN auspices led to a peace
accord, signed in Paris in 1991.
The agreement called for a UN
protectorate to help rule the
country until national legislative
elections could be held in 1993.

11. Political Setting:
Cambodia
More than 20 political parties
participated in the 1993
elections. However, two parties
obtained more than 85 percent
of the vote: A royalist party,
known by its French acronym,
FUNCINPEC, won the most seats,

12. Political Setting:
Cambodia
while the CPP, led by the
incumbent prime minister, Hun
Sen, won the next largest bloc.
Following the elections, a three-
party coalition formed a
government headed by two
prime ministers; Prince Norodom

13. Political Setting:
Cambodia
Ranariddh of FUNCINPEC
became first prime minister,
while Hun Sen took the post of
second prime minister. In
September 1993 a new
constitution restored the
monarchy and established the
Kingdom of Cambodia.

14. Political Setting:
Cambodia
In July 1997, Hun Sen ousted
Ranariddh while he was abroad,
replacing him with Ung Huot, a
more pliable member of
FUNCINPEC. Elections held in
1998 gave the CPP a plurality of
votes, but Ranariddh and

15. Political Setting:
Cambodia
another opposition candidate,
Sam Rainsy, contested the
outcome, claiming that the
elections had not been
conducted fairly. In November
1998 the CPP and FUNCINPEC
reached a compromise

16. Political Setting:
Cambodia
agreement resulting in a new
coalition government. Hun Sen
became the sole prime minister,
while Ranariddh became the
president of the National
Assembly.

17. Political Setting:
Cambodia
Cambodia is divided for
administrative purposes into 20
provinces and 3 municipalities.
These units are administered by
governors.

18. Political Setting:
Cambodia
A. Executive
Cambodia’s head of state is the
king, whose role is largely
ceremonial and advisory. The
king, on the advice of the
legislature, formally appoints the
prime minister to head the

19. Political Setting:
Cambodia
winning party in legislative
elections. The prime minister
heads a cabinet made up of
members of the legislature.
Cabinet members are chosen by
the prime minister, ratified by
the legislature, and formally
appointed by the king.

20. Political Setting:
Cambodia
B. Legislature
A bicameral (two-chamber)
parliament holds legislative
power. The more powerful lower
house is called the National
Assembly. Established in 1993,
the assembly consists of 122

21. Political Setting:
Cambodia
members who serve five-year
terms. Members are chosen
through popular elections in
which people over 18 years of
age are entitled to vote. The
National Assembly may dismiss
cabinet members or the entire

22. Political Setting:
Cambodia
cabinet with a two-thirds
majority vote. The upper house,
or Senate, was created by
constitutional amendment in
1999, in accordance with
provisions of the 1998
agreement. The 61-member
Senate serves as an advisory

23. Political Setting:
Cambodia
body to the National Assembly;
it has the power to recommend
amendments to legislation
passed by the assembly, but the
lower house can reject the
recommendations on a second
vote. Members of the Senate

24. Political Setting:
Cambodia
are elected to a term of six
years.

25. Political Setting:
Cambodia
C. Judiciary
The 1993 constitution provided
for an independent judiciary
under a Supreme Court.
However, the exact structure and
laws of the courts were not yet
determined as of early 2000.

26. Political Setting:
Cambodia
Source:
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. ©
1993-2008 Microsoft
Corporation. All rights reserved.

27. Political Setting:
Cambodia
Aw Khun!!!

28. Political Setting
as we
Understanding

29. Political-Security
Community
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32. Republic of the Philippines
CAPIZ STATE UNIVERSITY
Dumarao Satellite College, Dumarao, Capiz
Theme: “Understanding Better the Political, Economic &
Socio-Cultural
Settings of Southeast Asian Nations for
Peace, Prosperity & People”
May 25, 2015 (8:00-11:30 am)
Campus Library