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Elections in Cambodia

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Cambodia is a one-party dominant state with the Cambodian People's Party in power. Cambodia's legislature is chosen through a national election. The general election is held every five years in the fourth Sunday of July. The Parliament of Cambodia has two chambers. The National Assembly (រដ្ឋសភា Rôdthâsâphéa) has 125 members, each elected for a five-year term by proportional representation. The Senate (ព្រឹទ្ធសភា Prœ̆tthôsâphéa) has 62 members, mostly indirectly elected.

Since the signing of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords ending decades of civil wars and foreign occupation, and with the final elimination in 1998 of armed insurgency groups inside the country, six national elections have taken place in Cambodia. The first national elections were administered by United Nations Transitional Authority for Cambodia (UNTAC) in July 1993, the first commune-level election was held in February 2002 and the Cambodian senate was elected for the first time by the elected commune council officials in January 2006.

Three main political parties have dominated Cambodian politics over the last decade: the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), the United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC) and, more recently, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP; party banned in 2017). Although the CPP dominated the elections held on July 27, 2003, it did not win the two-thirds majority required under the constitution to form a government on its own. A new government was formed on July 15, 2004, after protracted negotiations between the CPP and FUNCINPEC on forming a coalition government.[1]

In early 2006 the CPP further consolidated its hold on power by passing an amendment to the constitution through Parliament that will allow for a 50% plus one majority in the National Assembly to form a government (instead of the two-thirds majority), thereby reducing its future reliance on FUNCINPEC or another coalition partner.

Electoral registration

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Entitlement to vote

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According to Article 34 of the Cambodian constitution, all Cambodian citizens aged 18 are eligible to vote.[2]

Khmer citizens of either sex shall enjoy the right to vote and to stand as candidates for the election.

Khmer citizens of either sex at least eighteen years old have the right to vote.

Citizens of either sex at least twenty-five years old, have the right to stand as candidates for the election.

Citizens of either sex at least forty years old, have the right to stand as candidates for the election of senators.

Provisions restricting the right to vote and the right to stand as candidates of the election shall be determined by law.

— The Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Article 34

However, Cambodian elections come in the form of both direct and indirect elections. Which will determine which individuals are eligible to vote in each respective election.

Election Type of Election Voting Eligibility for Citizens
National Assembly Direct
  • All Cambodian citizens aged 18 or higher.
Communal Direct
Senate Indirect
  • Commune chiefs
  • Commune councilors
Municipal Indirect

Electoral register

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Registered voters since 1993
Year Number of people +/-
1993 4,764,618 -
1998 5,395,595 Increase 13.20%
2002 5,190,307 Decrease 3.80%
2003 6,341,834 Increase 18.15%
2007 7,799,371 Increase 18.68%
2008 8,125,529 Increase 4.01%
2012 9,203,493 Increase 11.71%
2013 9,675,453 Increase 4.87%
2017 7,865,033 Decrease 18.71%
2018 8,380,217 Increase 6.14%
2022 9,205,681 Increase 8.96%
2023 9,710,645 Increase 5.20%

Electoral system

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National Assembly

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All 125 members of the National Assembly are directly elected every 5 years via a closed list proportional representation through 25 multi-member constituencies which follow the boundaries of the provinces of Cambodia. Seats are allocated to parties under the d'Hondt method.[3]

Senate

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58 of the 62 members of the Senate are elected indirectly by commune chiefs and councilors. This election is conducted every five years via an indirect party-list proportional representation through eight multi-member constituencies, which consist of multiple provinces merged into a region. Seats are allocated to parties based on vote share using the D'Hondt method.[4]

In addition, four seats are appointed, two by the monarch and two by the National Assembly.

Regions Provinces Seats
Region 1 Phnom Penh 6
Region 2 Kampong Cham, Tboung Khmum 8
Region 3 Kandal 5
Region 4 Banteay Meachey, Battambang, Siem Reap, Pailin, Oddar Meanchey 10
Region 5 Kampot, Kep, Takeo 7
Region 6 Prey Veng, Svay Rieng 7
Region 7 Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Preah Sihanouk, Koh Kong, Pursat 9
Region 8 Kampong Thom, Preah Vihear, Kratie, Strung Treng, Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri 6

Communal

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Commune Chiefs

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All commune chiefs are elected by first past the post, where a simple plurality in a single round of voting is needed to win.[5][6]

Commune Councilors

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Under Sub-Decree 107, communes are limited to the following number of councillors per commune only, where the decision the size of the council is to be decided by "geographical and demographic factors" according to the National Election Committee (NEC). Where the council is elected using closed list proportional representation, under the d'Hondt method.[5] However, if a party obtains 2/3rds of the vote share, all deputy chief seats are awarded automatically to the respective party.[7]

Number of possible seat allocations in commune councils
5
7
9
11

As of the 2027 election, there are currently 1,652 commune chiefs and 11,622 commune councilors respectively.

Latest elections

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National Assembly

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PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Cambodian People's Party6,398,31182.30120–5
FUNCINPEC716,4909.225+5
Khmer National United Party134,2851.7300
Cambodian Youth Party97,4121.2500
Dharmacracy Party84,0301.0800
Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Democracy Party52,8170.6800
Khmer Anti-Poverty Party40,0960.5200
Khmer United Party36,5260.4700
Grassroots Democratic Party35,4160.4600
Khmer Economic Development Party26,0930.3400
Ekpheap Cheat Khmer Party25,2610.320New
Cambodian Nationality Party23,1970.3000
Women for Women Party22,8430.290New
Khmer Conservative Party20,9680.270New
Beehive Social Democratic Party20,2100.2600
People Purpose Party13,8310.180New
Democracy Power Party13,7040.180New
Farmer's Party12,7860.160New
Total7,774,276100.001250
Valid votes7,774,27694.64
Invalid/blank votes440,1545.36
Total votes8,214,430100.00
Registered voters/turnout9,710,65584.59
Source: National Election Committee

Results of seat allocation by provinces

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Source:[8]
Province CPP FUNCINPEC Total
Banteay Meanchey 6 0 6
Battambang 8 0 8
Kampong Cham 9 1 10
Kampong Chhnang 4 0 4
Kampong Speu 6 0 6
Kampong Thom 5 1 6
Kampot 6 0 6
Kandal 10 1 11
Koh Kong 1 0 1
Kratié 3 0 3
Mondulkiri 1 0 1
Phnom Penh 11 1 12
Preah Vihear 1 0 1
Prey Veng 10 1 11
Pursat 4 0 4
Ratanakiri 1 0 1
Siem Reap 6 0 6
Preah Sihanouk 3 0 3
Stung Treng 1 0 1
Svay Rieng 5 0 5
Takéo 8 0 8
Oddar Meanchey 1 0 1
Kep 1 0 1
Pailin 1 0 1
Tboung Khmum 8 0 8
Total 120 5 125

Senate

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Preliminary results released by the NEC showed that the CPP had won 55 of the 58 contested seats in the Senate, with the remaining four seats being filled by appointees of King Norodom Sihamoni and the National Assembly. The other three contested seats were won by the Khmer Will Party, a coalition of parties opposed to Hun Sen and a proxy of the Candlelight Party.[9][10] It also showed that the opposition had lost ground in Phnom Penh to the CPP by nearly half of its votes and by 30 percent in the surrounding Kandal Province.[9]

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Cambodian People's Party10,05285.9255-3
Khmer Will Party1,39411.923New
Nation Power Party2342.000New
FUNCINPEC190.1600
Members appointed by National Assembly20
Members appointed by Monarch[a]20
Total11,699100.006211730
Valid votes11,69999.74
Invalid/blank votes310.26
Total votes11,730100.00
Registered voters/turnout11,74799.86
Source: KT, NEC, KT, VP, Xinhua

Results by region

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Regions CPP KWP FUNCINPEC NPP Blank/invalid Total
Votes % Seats Votes % Seats Votes % Seats Votes % Seats
Region 1 817 90.18% 6 88 9.71% 0 1 0.11% 0 0 0.00% 0 7
Region 2 1121 82.12% 7 239 17.51% 1 1 0.07% 0 4 0.29% 0
Region 3 779 84.22% 5 130 14.05% 0 4 0.43% 0 12 1.30% 0
Region 4 1191 77.95% 9 218 14.27% 1 1 0.07% 0 118 7.72% 0
Region 5 1187 88.78% 7 148 11.07% 0 0 0.00% 0 2 0.15% 0
Region 6 1161 82.28% 6 245 17.36% 1 1 0.07% 0 4 0.28% 0
Region 7 1575 90.47% 9 151 8.67% 0 0 0.00% 0 15 0.86% 0
Region 8 1501 84.99% 6 175 9.91% 0 11 0.62% 0 79 4.47% 0
Total 10,117 86.99% 55 1,394 11.01% 3 19 0.15% 0 234 1.85% 0 7 11,730
Source: National Election Committee

Communal

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Party Votes % Swing Chiefs +/– Councillors +/–
Cambodian People's Party5,378,77374.32 23.51,648 4929,376 2,873
Candlelight Party1,610,55622.25 22.24 42,198 2198
FUNCINPEC91,7981.27 0.630019 9
Khmer National United Party63,8680.88 0.250 113 11
Cambodia National Love Party33,2590.46 0.46005 5
Cambodian Youth Party13,8410.19 0.17003 3
Cambodia Nationality Party13,1400.18 0.15000 0
Khmer Will Party7,5560.10 0.10000 0
Grassroots Democratic Party6,8070.09 0.02006 1
Cambodia Reform Party5,0240.07 0.07000 0
Kampucheaniyum Party4,8560.07 0.07001 1
Beehive Social Democratic Party2,4600.03 0.42001 0
Cambodia Indigenous People's Democracy Party1,6340.02Steady 0000 0
Khmer United Party1,5990.02 0.02000 0
Ekpheap Cheat Khmer Party1,1260.02 0.02000 0
Reaksmey Khemara Party4460.01 0.01000 0
Khmer Economic Development Party2940.00 0.00000 0
Total7,237,0371001001,652 611,622 50
Valid votes7,237,037 97.87
Invalid/blank votes157,390 2.13
Total votes 7,394,427100
Registered voters/turnout 9,205,681 80.3
Source: National Election Committee
Province CPP CLP FUNCINPEC
Votes % Votes % Votes %
Banteay Meanchey 194,543 72.23% 55,900 20.75% 4,381 1.63%
Battambang 347,062 76.10% 94,744 20.77% 5,521 1.21%
Kampong Cham 339,279 70.09% 125,875 26.00% 4,836 1.00%
Kampong Chhnang 202,957 71.40% 66,991 23.57% 6,323 2.22%
Kampong Speu 384,954 78.13% 90,002 18.27% 6,946 1.21%
Kampong Thom 205,882 62.63% 94,323 28.69% 16,226 4.94%
Kampot 232,479 73.19% 75,999 23.93% 5,279 1.68%
Kandal 481,744 74.18% 154,371 23.77% 5,008 0.77%
Koh Kong 44,992 79.56% 10,356 18.31% 64 0.11%
Kratié 120,550 72.62% 35,216 21.22% 5,505 3.32%
Mondulkiri 29,676 82.33% 4,434 12.30% 281 0.78%
Phnom Penh 536,625 76.95% 151,262 21.69% 3,395 0.49%
Preah Vihear 84,791 73.68% 25,130 21.84% 1,763 1.53%
Prey Veng 398,045 71.35% 140,728 25.23% 3,783 0.68%
Pursat 195,656 85.26% 32,143 14.01% 605 0.26%
Ratanakiri 69,838 83.31% 11,735 14.00% 160 0.19%
Siem Reap 306,668 69.37% 115,589 26.15% 6,938 1.57%
Preah Sihanouk 86,308 80.10% 17,400 16.15% 1,857 1.72%
Stung Treng 55,898 77.98% 12,009 16.75% 2,663 3.71%
Svay Rieng 245,164 74.98% 75,528 23.10% 3,480 1.06%
Takéo 406,958 75.83% 118,061 22.00% 2,331 0.43%
Kep 19,284 84.86% 2,893 12.73% 442 1.95%
Pailin 25,458 81.79% 5,095 16.37% 0 0.00%
Oddar Meanchey 87,069 80.67% 16,353 15.15% 178 0.16%
Tboung Khmum 276,895 75.72% 78,419 21.44% 4,833 1.32%
Source: National Election Committee

Elections (since 1993)

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General election

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Communal elections

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Senate election

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Two independents.

References

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  1. ↑ Country Assessment Strategy (CAS) for the Kingdom of Cambodia, World Bank, April 18, 2005.
  2. ↑ "CONSTITUTION OF THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA | អង្គភាព ព័ត៌មាន និងប្រតិកម្មរហ័ស". 2017-01-25. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  3. ↑ "របៀបបែងចែក អាសនៈ សម្រាប់ ការបោះឆ្នោតជ្រើសតាំងតំណាងរាស្ត្រ នីតិកាលទី ៦(ប.ន.ត.រ ឆ្នាំ ២០១៨) | គណៈកម្មាធិការជាតិរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត (គ.ជ.ប)". www.nec.gov.kh (in Khmer). Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  4. ↑ "របៀបបែងចែក អាសនៈ សម្រាប់ ការបោះឆ្នោតជ្រើសតាំង សមាជិកព្រឹទ្ធសភា នីតិកាលទី ៤ (ប.ន.ព.ស ឆ្នាំ២០១៨) | គណៈកម្មាធិការជាតិរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត (គ.ជ.ប)". www.nec.gov.kh (in Khmer). Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  5. 1 2 "អនុក្រឹត្យស្តីពីការកំណត់ចំនួនសមាជិកក្រុមប្រឹក្សាឃុំ សង្កាត់អាណត្តិទី៦ | គណៈកម្មាធិការជាតិរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត (គ.ជ.ប)". National Election Committee (in Khmer). Retrieved 2026-06-26.
  6. ↑ "របៀបបែងចែក អាសនៈ សម្រាប់ ការបោះឆ្នោតជ្រើសរើសក្រុមប្រឹក្សាឃុំ សង្កាត់ អាណត្តិទី ៤ (ប.ន.ឃ.ស ឆ្នាំ ២០១៧) | គណៈកម្មាធិការជាតិរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត (គ.ជ.ប)". www.nec.gov.kh (in Khmer). Retrieved 2026-10-05.
  7. ↑ "Cambodia: Legal Revisions Reinforce One-Party Rule | Human Rights Watch". 2026-09-04. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
  8. ↑ "HEADED FOR A BIG WIN: Early results indicate CPP will secure 120 seats with Funcinpec getting five". Khmer Times. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  9. 1 2 Cite error: The named reference nikkei1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ↑ "Cambodia's ruling party wins Senate election, paving the way for Hun Sen to act as its president". Associated Press. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
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