Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world. It covers 181,035 km and has a population of 12,775,000. Approximately 52 percent of the population is female. The yearly per capita income is US$280. In addition to this, 36% of the Cambodian population lives below the poverty line.

Ancient History :

Cambodia was an ancient empire, populated by Khmers. It reached its peak between the 11th and 15th century. After that period, Cambodia fell into decline and became a French colony from the latter part of the 19th century until the 1950s. Toward the end of 1960s, Cambodia was confronted with political disorder and conflicts due to economic turmoil, threats from communists in Vietnam, and air strikes by the United States and South Vietnamese forces in the final stages of the Vietnam War. In 1970, Lon Nol launched a successful coup d’etat and deposed Sihanouk as the head of state. In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge (KR) expelled Lon Nol and installed the Democratic Kampuchea regime. In less than four years of rule, all institutions in Cambodia were destroyed and more than a million Cambodians were killed. The fundamental Cambodia institutions of family, community, and religion were all viewed as existing solely to support a corrupt status quo. The Khmer Rouge set out to cleanse this inherently corrupt Cambodia in order to build their utopian state. Their utopia of genocide and aggressive stance against the Vietnamese resulted in the Vietnamese army invading in 1979 and essentially occupying the Nation for the next decade. Insurgencies raged on however and Cambodia remained as volatile and dangerous as before.

1993-Present:

Cambodia awoke from almost three decades of war and isolation in 1993. The United Nation’s Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) held Cambodia’s first democratic election. Most of the people in Cambodia went to vote for their leaders. After the election, Cambodia became a constitutional monarchy. Prince Sihanouk, who abdicated in 1955, accepted the crown once more and again ruled as King. The elections were also a victory for the royalist Funcinpec party who gained most of the seats. Unsurprisingly the ruling government party (the CPP) refused to leave office. Eventually the King managed to help the two sides come together to form a coalition government. Within a year however the CPP successfully managed a coup d’etat and Funcinpec, the winners of the election, were sidelined with their leader, Norodom Ranariddh, fleeing to exile in France. Theoretically, the constitution of September 1993 enshrined the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government although this is rarely the case in reality.

Five years later, Cambodia held the turbulent elections of July 1998. This resulted in accusations of voter intimidation and unfair democracy. Protests followed which soon turned to riots. Again the King managed to bring the two sides together, and a new government was formed. However, it was completely dominated by the CPP.

The Cambodian local political structure consists of 24 provincial authorities, which are run by an unelected provincial governor. Beneath this there are the commune councils and in February 2002 the first free elections were held at this level. This could have meant a break from the old CPP appointed commune chiefs. However the elections were a huge success for the CPP and it gained an overwhelming majority. The Sam Rainsy party performed averagely coming in second although the election was a disaster for Funcinpec who came third. Intimidation, vote buying and rumors about a less-than-secret ballot didn’t help the opposition’s attempts to make inroads.

The 2003 national elections yet again resulted in chaos. The CPP managed another stunning victory, controlling over 80 seats in the National Assembly, whilst Funcinpec gained 24 and the Sam Rainsy party 23 seats. Although apparently a free and fair election it seems that large-scale intimidation and a monopoly of the national media may again have helped to boost the CPP’s showing, although the result cannot be easily disputed. The 80 seats gained by the CPP were not enough, however to form a government, as it was short of the 2/3 majority needed. This led to 12 months of negotiations as arguments raged over who would get what in the next administration. Twelve months without a government took its toll on Cambodia. Finally in July 2004 an expanded government was formed together with Funcinpec, in which the CPP effectively is running the show. The government was gained through the addition of a ‘mini-constitution’ to the main constitution which some claimed was a gross violation of the previous constitution. It contained numerous provisions which could be seen to violate the rights enshrined in the 1993 constitution, as was the way in which it was passed, with a simple hand vote in the assembly. The King refused to sign off on the government and has now asked to abdicate, unhappy with the new government. The acting head of state in the King’s absence, Chea Sim, who was also reported to be unhappy with the ‘mini constitution’ surprisingly came down with a sudden illness just hours before he was supposed to sign off the new government and unfortunately had to go to Bangkok for immediate medical treatment, with the head of police and numerous guards.

No doubt the government is set for a rough ride in the coming months and years and no amount of additional constitutions is going to make that ride any easier. Personal rivalries seem to be heating up within the only party with any power, the CPP, and even the survivor Hun Sen may be unable to maintain stability.

The only predictable thing about Cambodian politics is their unpredictability. Despite all the efforts of both the international community and the Cambodian people, Cambodian democracy is still weak and social injustices innumerable. One of the main reasons for Cambodia’s shortfalls is lawlessness. The legislative system is flawed at every level, from the drafting of new legislation to its daily execution. This has created a situation of unequalled corruption and gross impunity on the part of governmental officials. For example, 100,000 people are currently experiencing government supported expulsion from their land.