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Cambodia

https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/

July 2025

Cross-border fighting over long-contested temples results in civilian casualties

Armed conflict broke out on the Cambodia-Thailand border on 24 July, killing at least 38 people (including at least 13 civilians), wounding over 200, and displacing at least 300,000 on both sides of the border. The deadly violence broke out after civilians and soldiers from both Cambodia and Thailand engaged in minor altercations and clashes over temples in a long-contested border region. These clashes strained diplomatic tensions as well, and violence continued until acting Thait Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet agreed to an unconditional ceasefire on 28 July. No ceasefire violations have been independently confirmed since. The violence is the worst between the two countries since 40 soldiers and civilians died in armed clashes over the same contested temples and borders between 2011 and 2013.

Update: The National Assembly unanimously amended the Law on 25 August to allow for the revocation of citizenship for collusion with foreign powers. Cambodian civil society groups criticized the law as overly vague and allowing the government to revoke citizenship for a broad range of critical speech. 

Sources: Associated Press, The Diplomat, The Guardian, Human Rights Watch, The Diplomat, Licadho Cambodia

Constitution amended to allow for revocation of citizenship

Cambodia’s National Assembly voted unanimously to amend the constitution on 11 July to allow for the revocation of citizenship. The government will now draft a law stipulating the terms under which citizenship can be revoked. Officials said the new law will be used against Cambodians found guilty of ‘conspiring with foreign powers’ or treason, but those affected are likely to be government critics and opposition politicians. Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father and president of the Senate, Hun Sen, frequently equate criticism of their rule with treason and have used criminal prosecutions to harass and marginalize opponents of their rule in the past. While opposition politicians and critics who hold dual citizenship may be particularly vulnerable, there has been no indication the government intends to limit the law’s application only to dual citizens.

Sources: Associated Press, ConstitutionNet, Office of the Council of Ministers

March 2025

Harsher penalties introduced for genocide denial

A new law penalizing denial of the Cambodian genocide with up to five years in prison and a fine of KHR 50 million (USD 12,500) went into effect on 1 March. Genocide denial has been criminalized since 2003, but the previous penalties were a maximum of two years in prison or a fine of up to KHR 4 million (1,000 USD). While the text of the law does not differ significantly from similar statutes around the world, the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) has historically used genocide denial laws to tightly control the official history of the genocide and punish political opponents. Historians are concerned the strengthened penalties will discourage public discussion and the search for accountability for the genocide. An international tribunal for the genocide ended in 2022 with just three convictions, partly due to pressure from then-President Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge member himself. He was reportedly concerned a more wide-ranging investigation would damage the reputation of the CPP.

Sources: Cambodianess, JuristThe Diplomat, New York Times

January 2025

High-profile opposition politician assassinated
Watch flag

Lim Kimya, an exiled former MP for the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was assassinated in Bangkok on 7 January. The murderer, a Thai former solider, escaped to Cambodia but was returned to Thailand on 11 January. Rights watchdogs described the assassination as ‘transnational repression’ – when an authoritarian state punishes critics and inhibits political organizing through violence and intimidation outside of its borders. While no direct connection to the Cambodian government has yet been determined, the assassin confessed to murdering Lim in exchange for ‘financial support’ from an individual he refuses to name out of concerns for his family’s safety. Thai police are also searching for an accomplice who is a Cambodian national. The Cambodian state has continued to pursue and harass members of the party and its successor, the Candlelight Party, through legal and extra-legal means.

Sources: British Broadcasting Corporation, The Diplomat, Amnesty International, Bangkok Post

September 2024

Civil pressure forces rare policy reversal

Following protests from the Cambodian diaspora, significant dissent expressed on domestic social media, and the threat of domestic protests, the Cambodian government announced its withdrawal from a two-decade old economic agreement with Laos and Vietnam on 20 September. Critics of the agreement, which was intended to foster development in remote border regions, claimed that it had instead surrendered control over Cambodian land and resources to Vietnam and Vietnamese immigrants. This move marks the first time the Hun Manet government made a significant policy change on account of organized public demand. It also marks an about-face from its previous strategy of staunchly defending the agreement in public. The Cambodian government attempted to head off planned domestic protests, arresting at least 94 people in July and August for either publicly criticizing the agreement or allegedly being involved in planning domestic protests, accusing them of being ‘extremists’ planning to overthrow the government.

Sources: Hun Manet (Facebook), The Diplomat, Cambodja News

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Global ranking per category of democratic performance in 2024

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Representation
140/173
Rights
156/173
Rule of Law
155/173
Participation
150/173

Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
17 423 880
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Hun Manet (since 2023)
Head of government party
Cambodian People's Party (CPP)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
13.6%
Women in upper chamber
19.4%
Last legislative election
2023
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
2.29
Head of state
King Norodom Sihamoni
Selection process for head of state
Hereditary or election by hereditary state rulers
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
08/05/2024
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
84.36%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
Signatory
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
State Party
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
in
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
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Global State of Democracy Indices

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Representation
Representation
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high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
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high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
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high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
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high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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