2024 Cambodian Senate election
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All 58 elective seats in the Senate 31 seats needed for a majority[a] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 11,747 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 11,730 (99.89%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reporting | 99% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This article is part of a series on the |
| Politics of Cambodia |
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A senate election was held in Cambodia on 25 February 2024.[1][2] This was the fifth Senate election in the country's history.
Background[edit]
After resigning as prime minister in 2023, Hun Sen stated his intention to continue his political career as the President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), a member of the National Assembly, and the President of the Supreme Privy Council. After the Senate election on 25 February 2024, he announced his intention to also become President of the Senate.[3] In recent years, major opposition parties to Hun Sen's regime have been prevented from contesting elections due to controversial court rulings.[4] In the previous Senate elections in 2018, the CPP won all contested seats in the chamber after the dissolution of its main rival, the Cambodia National Rescue Party, which was believed to have been engineered by the government.[5]
On 5 September 2023, the Candlelight Party (CLP) was advised by the National Election Committee (NEC) to make every effort to locate the original registration document issued by the Ministry of Interior or obtain a new one in order to be eligible to vote in the Senate election. NEC spokesman Hang Puthea suggested that CLP leaders should try to locate the missing original paperwork or appeal to the Ministry of Interior to follow the legal process in order to obtain a new original document to register the candidates and parties at the NEC. According to CLP spokesman Kimsour Phirith, party officials wrote to Interior Minister Sar Sokha to address the issue with the party's registration documentation. According to him, the party is still exerting significant effort to request that the Ministry of Interior streamline the procedure and make it simpler for political parties to register.[6]
Electoral system[edit]
The Senate of Cambodia is elected every 6 years by an indirect party-list proportional representation through 8 multi-member constituencies (regions), with the Communal Chiefs, Communal Councilors, and members of the National Assembly.[7]
| Regions | Seats |
|---|---|
| Region 1 | 6 |
| Region 2 | 8 |
| Region 3 | 5 |
| Region 4 | 10 |
| Region 5 | 7 |
| Region 6 | 7 |
| Region 7 | 9 |
| Region 8 | 6 |
| Regions | Provinces |
|---|---|
| Region 1 | Phnom Penh |
| Region 2 | Kampong Cham, Tboung Khmum |
| Region 3 | Kandal |
| Region 4 | Banteay Meachey, Battambang, Siem Reap, Pailin, Oddar Meanchey |
| Region 5 | Kampot, Kep, Takeo |
| Region 6 | Prey Veng, Svay Rieng |
| Region 7 | Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Preah Sihanouk, Koh Kong, Pursat |
| Region 8 | Kampong Thom, Preah Vihear, Kratie, Strung Treng, Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri |
Candidates[edit]
Members of Senate not standing for re-election[edit]
| MP | First elected | Party | Date announced | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Say Chhum | 2012 | CPP | 26 July 2023[8] | |
| Sim Ka | 2018 | CPP | 28 November 2023[9] | |
| Tep Ngorn | 2012 | CPP | 28 November 2023[9] | |
| Lau Meng Khin | 2012 | CPP | 28 November 2023[9] | |
Contesting Parties[edit]
| Ballot Number |
Party | Party Leader | Constituencies Contested |
Seats Contested |
Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cambodian People's Party | Hun Sen | 8 | 58 | [10] | |
| 2 | Khmer Will Party | Kong Molika | 8 | 58 | [11] | |
| 3 | FUNCINPEC | Norodom Chakravuth | 8 | 58 | [12] | |
| 4 | Nation Power Party | Sun Chanthy | 8 | 58 | [13] | |
Allegations of irregularities[edit]
The Candlelight party alleged that its local councilors were targeted by attempts at intimidation and vote-buying. It added that provincial authorities aligned to the CPP were visiting Candlelight councilors asking them to stay away from polling stations or bribe them to vote for the CPP. The latter denied the claims, describing them as a "distortion of the facts."[14]
Results[edit]
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.[14][4] 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.[14]
| Party | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambodian People's Party | – | – | |
| Khmer Will Party | – | New | |
| FUNCINPEC | – | – | |
| Nation Power Party | – | New | |
| Members appointed by National Assembly | 2 | 0 | |
| Members appointed by Monarch[15] | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | – | |
Results by region[edit]
| Province | CPP | Khmer Will Party | FUNCINPEC | Nation Power Party | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | ||
| Region 1 | |||||||||||||
| Region 2 | |||||||||||||
| Region 3 | |||||||||||||
| Region 4 | |||||||||||||
| Region 5 | |||||||||||||
| Region 6 | |||||||||||||
| Region 7 | |||||||||||||
| Region 8 | |||||||||||||
| Source: | |||||||||||||
Elected Senators[edit]
| Party | Name | |
|---|---|---|
Reactions[edit]
CPP spokesperson Sok Eysan said that the election results were better than expected for the party and said that it was likely that Hun Sen would become the new Senate president once the official results are released by the NEC in April.[4]
Exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy said that the minor opposition gains in the election were encouraging signs for democracy and a victory despite challenges such as fear, threats and vote-buying.[4]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Date set for next year's Senate election - Khmer Times". 19 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ Yutharo, Kim. "Date set as Feb 25 for next Senate election". phnompenhpost.com. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ "Hun Manet will become new Prime Minister on August 22nd". Khmer Times. 26 July 2023. Archived from the original on 27 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d "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.
- ^ "Cambodia's ruling party claims victory in Senate election". Nikkei. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ "CP advised to obtain document or miss Senate polls". Khmer Times. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ "ក្នុងការបម្រើជាតិ តើព្រឹទ្ធសភាកម្ពុជា មានតួនាទី ភារកិច្ច និងរចនាសម្ព័ន្ធអ្វីខ្លះ? បើចង់ជ្រាបច្បាស់ សូមរីករាយទស្សនាទាំងអស់គ្នា។ | By TV Senate of Cambodia". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ Staff, Post. "Hun Sen hands over power to Manet". phnompenhpost.com. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ a b c "អ្នកនាំពាក្យ៖សមាជិកព្រឹទ្ធសភាបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជាប្រមាណ១៧រូបនឹងចូលនិវត្តន៍". វីអូអេ (in Khmer). 28 November 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "សេចក្តីសម្រេចលេខ ៥៦៤ គ.ជ.ប.ស.ស.រ ស្តីពីការចុះបញ្ជីគណបក្សនយោបាយឈរឈ្មោះបោះឆ្នោត និងបញ្ជីបេក្ខជនឈរឈ្មោះ សម្រាប់ការបោះឆ្នោតជ្រើសតាំងសមាជិកព្រឹទ្ធសភា នីតិកាលទី៥ ឆ្នាំ២០២៤ (គណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា) | គណៈកម្មាធិការជាតិរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត (គ.ជ.ប)". www.nec.gov.kh (in Khmer). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "សេចក្តីសម្រេច លេខ ៥៧១ គ.ជ.ប.ស.ស.រ ស្តីពីការចុះបញ្ជីគណបក្សនយោបាយឈរឈ្មោះបោះឆ្នោត និងបញ្ជីបេក្ខជនឈរឈ្មោះ សម្រាប់ការបោះឆ្នោតជ្រើសតាំងសមាជិកព្រឹទ្ធសភា នីតិកាលទី៥ ឆ្នាំ២០២៤ (គណបក្ស ឆន្ទៈខ្មែរ) | គណៈកម្មាធិការជាតិរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត (គ.ជ.ប)". www.nec.gov.kh (in Khmer). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "សេចក្តីសម្រេច លេខ ៥៧៣ គ.ជ.ប.ស.ស.រ ស្តីពីការប្រកាសលទ្ធផលទទួលស្គាល់ជាផ្លូវការ ការចុះបញ្ជីគណបក្សនយោបាយឈរឈ្មោះបោះឆ្នោត និងបញ្ជីបេក្ខជនឈរឈ្មោះ សម្រាប់ការបោះឆ្នោតជ្រើសតាំងសមាជិកព្រឹទ្ធសភា នីតិកាលទី៥ ឆ្នាំ២០២៤ (គណបក្ស ហ៊្វុនស៊ិនប៉ិច) | គណៈកម្មាធិការជាតិរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត (គ.ជ.ប)". www.nec.gov.kh (in Khmer). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "សេចក្តីសម្រេច លេខ ៥៧២ គ.ជ.ប.ស.ស.រ ស្តីពីការចុះបញ្ជីគណបក្សនយោបាយឈរឈ្មោះបោះឆ្នោត និងបញ្ជីបេក្ខជនឈរឈ្មោះ សម្រាប់ការបោះឆ្នោតជ្រើសតាំងសមាជិកព្រឹទ្ធសភា នីតិកាលទី៥ ឆ្នាំ២០២៤ (គណបក្ស កម្លាំងជាតិ) | គណៈកម្មាធិការជាតិរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត (គ.ជ.ប)". www.nec.gov.kh (in Khmer). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ a b c "Cambodia election sweep cements Hun Sen family's grip on power". Nikkei. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ Two independents
