2018 Cambodian Senate election

←  2012 25 February 2018 2024 →
58 of the 62 seats in the Senate 31 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	99.79% (0.30pp)
Party Leader % Seats +/– CPP Say Chhum 96.05 58 +12 This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

Senate elections were held in Cambodia on 25 February 2018 after being postponed from 14 January 2018. ^{[1] [2]} 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. ^[3] King Norodom Sihamoni nominated Princess Norodom Arunrasmy and Oum Somanin to the Senate. ^[4]

Background

On 11 February 2017, Rainsy resigned as President of the CNRP, and was succeeded by Sokha. ^[5] On 3 September, Sokha was arrested and charged with treason, raising questions about the party's future. ^[6] Another act of repression by the government was the closure of the Cambodia Daily newspaper. ^[7] On 16 November 2017, the CNRP was forcibly dissolved, eliminating any real challenge to the long-ruling CPP. ^[8] Its seats in parliament were distributed to three other parties. ^[9] The CNRP was dissolved and revoked the voting rights of its commune councilors and parliamentarians, leading to the arrest of Kem Sokha, a leader of the CNRP, who was arrested on charges of conspiring to overthrow the government with the help of the US. The US and Khem Sokha have both denied the allegations. ^[10]

Electoral system

The Senate of Cambodia is elected every 6 years by an indirect party-list proportional representation through 8 multi members constituencies (regions), with the Communal Chiefs, Communal Councilors, Members of the National Assembly. ^[11]

Conduct

According to the National Election Committee (NEC), three political parties running in next week's Senate election have done virtually little campaigning, which NGOs attribute to the dissolution of the main opposition party. The Cambodian Youth Party, the Khmer National United Party, and Funcinpec are these parties. Sotheara Yoeurng, legal and monitoring officer of the Cambodian Committee for Free and Fair Elections, claimed the three parties were scarcely campaigning owing to the dissolution of the CNRP. Prior to the next Senate election on February 25, the NEC has prohibited all political parties from campaigning on nine key boulevards in Phnom Penh. ^[12]

The Ballot was arranged in the order of the following: ^[13]

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Cambodian People's Party	11,202	96.05	58	+12
	FUNCINPEC	276	2.37	0	New
	Khmer National United Party	182	1.56	0	New
	Cambodian Youth Party	3	0.03	0	New
Members appointed by National Assembly [14]				2	0
Members appointed by Monarch [15]				2	0
Total		11,663	100.00	62	+1
Valid votes		11,663	99.94
Invalid/blank votes		7	0.06
Total votes		11,670	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		11,695	99.79
Source: Khmer Times

Results by region

Elected Senators

Reactions

FUNCINPEC

Nhep Bunchin, spokesman for FUNCINPEC, stated the official results did not differ from the preliminary results and that party still supports the election outcome. ^[17]

Cambodian Youth Party

The CYP's President Pich Sros supported the statement made by FUNCINPEC and stated, "I don't think there was anything wrong with the election". ^[17]

Khmer National United Party

Run Meatra the spokesman for the party stated, that the party supports the outcome of the election that it was free and fair. ^[17]

Aftermath

After the election which saw CPP hold all 58 elected seats, the King nominated Princess Norodom Arunrasmy and Oum Somanin to the Senate ^[4] and the National Assembly elected two Funcinpec members to the Senate, bringing the 62-member legislative body dominated by the ruling Cambodian People's Party to a close. ^[18]

References