Cambodia - September 2026

On 4 September, Cambodia's Senate approved amendments to the Law on the Administration and Management of Commune/Sangkat, altering how leadership positions within commune councils are distributed. Previously, parties that placed second or third in a commune election and cleared the electoral threshold were guaranteed one of the three top positions that hold most local political authority. Under the new rules, a party can gain all three seats with two-thirds of the vote and a party that wins a majority will be given two.  Commune officials are also the electors to the upper house of Cambodian parliament. In the context of increasing repression of opposition political parties, the amendments are set to substantially increase the ability of the ruling Cambodian People's Party to extend its near-total control of national politics to the local level – especially as only nationally registered parties can run at the local level. The next commune-level elections are due to be held in June 2027.

Sources: Human Rights Watch, Khmer Times