Cambodian People's Party

History

Forerunner organizations and early history

() Marxism–Leninism Buddhist socialism Pro-Vietnam Anti-Khmer Rouge () ("Good neighborliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability") Nationalists in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos held the belief that to successfully liberate themselves from France they needed to work together; the nationalists formed the supranational Indochinese Communist Party (ICP) to oppose the French in 1930.

However, the triumph of the Japanese during the early stage of World War II crippled French rule and helped to nurture nationalism in all three Indochinese countries. Consequently, the idea of an Indochinese-wide party was submerged in the rhetoric of fierce nationalism. In Cambodia, growing nationalist sentiment and national pride married historical mistrust and fear of neighbouring countries, which turned out to be a stumbling block for the ICP. On 28 June 1951, the Cambodian nationalists who struggled to free Cambodia from French colonial rule split from the ICP to form the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP).

In 1955, the KPRP established a subsidiary party named the Pracheachon in order to run in the national election that year. The name of the party was changed to the Workers' Party of Kampuchea (WPK) on 28 September 1960 and then to the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) in 1966. Members of the CPK moved the party's headquarters to Ratanakiri Province, where they were termed "Khmer Rouge" by Prince Norodom Sihanouk.

Pen Sovan's leadership (1979–1981)

In early 1979, the Cambodian communists who overthrew the Khmer Rouge's regime to end the genocide held a congress. At this gathering, they declared themselves the true successors of the original KPRP founded in 1951 and labelled the congress as the Third Party Congress, thus not recognizing the 1963, 1975 and 1978 congresses of CPK as legitimate. The party considered 28 June 1951 as its founding date. A national committee led by Pen Sovan and Roh Samai was appointed by the Congress. The women's wing of the party, the National Association of Women for the Salvation of Kampuchea, was also established in 1979 with a vast national network of members that extended to the district level.

The existence of the party was kept secret until its 4th congress in May 1981, when it appeared publicly and assumed the name KPRP. The name-change was stated to be carried out "to clearly distinguish it from the reactionary Pol Pot party and to underline and reassert the continuity of the party's best traditions".

Heng Samrin's leadership (1981–1991)

As of 1990, members of the Politburo were Heng Samrin (General Secretary), Chea Sim, Hun Sen, Chea Soth, Math Ly, Tea Banh, Men Sam An, Nguon Nhel, Sar Kheng, Bou Thang, Ney Pena, Say Chhum and alternate members included Sing Song, Sim Ka and Pol Saroeun. Members of the Secretariat were Heng Samrin, Say Phouthang, Bou Thang, Men Sam An and Sar Kheng.

Hun Sen's leadership (1991–2023)

In 1991, the party was renamed to the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) during a United Nations-sponsored peace and reconciliation process. Politburo and the Secretariat to enter into the new Standing Committee, Chea Sim as President and Hun Sen as Vice-president. Despite being rooted in socialism, the party adopted a pragmatic approach in order to keep power. For instance, the CPP played a major role in Cambodian peace negotiation process, which led to the signing of the Paris Peace Accords on 23 October 1991 and the creation of the second Kingdom of Cambodia. The CPP ousted Nodorom Ranariddh in a coup in 1997, leaving the party with no serious opposition. Thirty-two people died in the coup.

Under CPP rule, Cambodia transitioned into a lower-middle-income economy in 2016. The party aims to turn Cambodia into a higher-middle-income country by 2030 and high-income country by 2050. Ideologically, an increasing number of CPP senior leaders claim that the Cambodian ruling party has adopted a centrist position. They believe that the CPP presents a middle path between capitalism and communism, with emphasis on the values and principles of social market economy along with social and environmental protection, and Buddhist humanism. However, academics such as John Ciorciari have observed that the CPP still continues to maintain its communist-era party structures and that many of its top-ranking members were derived from KPRP. Also, despite Hun Sen being only the deputy leader of the party until 2015, he had de facto control of the party.

Political scientists Radek Buben, Elvin Franisco Rodríguez Fabilena and Karel Kouba classify the CPP under Hun Sen as left-wing, comparing it to the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) in terms of both authoritarian governance and representing formerly far-left revolutionary organizations that transitioned into a more reformist type of governance. The Palgrave Handbook of Political Norms in Southeast Asia described the CPP as "leftist conservatives". The party was also described as "left-leaning" in a Deutsche Welle article in 2012. Sreinith Ten also argues that the party "had embedded the legacy of communism based on Marxist-Leninist ideology", and continues to cling onto socialist-oriented rhetoric and policies to maintain legitimacy, such as through promoting gender egalitarianism and establishing state-backed organizations such as the Kampuchea Revolutionary Women's Association. The CPP hosted a Socialist International meeting in 2004, remains a close ally of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), and most of the party members are former communists. The CPP also retains socialist party organisation.

It won 64 of the 123 seats in the National Assembly in the 1998 elections, 73 seats in the 2003 elections and 90 seats in the 2008 elections, winning the popular vote by the biggest margin ever for a National Assembly election with 58% of the vote. The CPP also won the 2006 Senate elections. The party lost 22 seats in the 2013 elections, with opposition gained. In the 2018 elections, the party won all 125 seats in the National Assembly and 58 of 62 seats in the Senate. The main opposition, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was banned before the election. Since the 2023 elections, the party commands 120 of 125 seats in the National Assembly, and 55 of 62 seats in the Senate. Hun Sen, the former Prime Minister of Cambodia, has served as the CPP's President since 2015.

Party leadership (1979–1993)

• Heng Samrin:
  • General Secretary of the KPRP (1981–1991)
  • Chairman of the Revolutionary Council (later the Council of State) (1979–1992)
• Chea Sim:
  • Minister of the Interior (1979–1981)
  • President of the National Assembly (1981–92),
  • Chairman of the Council of State (1992–1994)
• Pen Sovan:
  • Minister of Defense (1979–1981);
  • General Secretary of the KPRP (1979–1981);
  • Prime Minister (1981)
• Hun Sen:
  • Minister of Foreign Affairs (1979–1986; 1987–1990);
  • Deputy Prime Minister (1981–85),
  • Prime Minister (1985–1993)
• Chan Sy:
  • Minister of defense (1981–1982),
  • Prime Minister (1981–1984)
• Say Phouthang:
  • Vice President of the State Council (1979–1993)
• Chea Soth:
  • Minister of Planning (1982–1986),
  • Deputy Prime Minister (1982–1992)
• Bou Thang:
  • Deputy Prime Minister (1982–1992),
  • Minister of Defense (1982–1986)
• Math Ly:
  • Vice President of the National Assembly
• Kong Korm:
  • Minister of Foreign Affairs (1986–1987)
• Hor Namhong:
  • Minister of Foreign Affairs (1990–1993)

List of party leaders

Presidents

KPRP (General Secretary) CPP (President)

Timeline

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bar:Samouth from: 21/09/1951 till: 30/09/1960 color:kprp text:"Tou Samouth" bar:Sovan from: 05/01/1979 till: 05/12/1981 color:kprp text:"Pen Sovan" bar:Samrin from: 05/12/1981 till: 17/10/1991 color:kprp text:"Heng Samrin" bar:Sim from: 17/10/1991 till: 08/06/2015 color:cpp text:"Chea Sim" bar:Sen from: 20/06/2015 till: $today color:cpp text:"Hun Sen"

Vice Presidents

• Say Chhum, President of the Senate (9 June 2015 – 3 April 2024)
• Sar Kheng, Minister of Interior (3 February 1992 – 22 August 2023)
• Tea Banh, Minister of National Defence (1987 – 22 August 2023)
• Men Sam An, Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia (25 September 2008 – 22 August 2023)
• Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia (22 August 2023 – present)

Organization

The party is headed by a 32-member Permanent Committee, commonly referred to as the Politburo (after its former Communist namesake). The current members are (with their party positions in brackets):

1. Hun Sen (Chairman)
2. Heng Samrin (Honorary Chairman)
3. Sar Kheng (Deputy Chairman)
4. Say Chhum (Chairman of the Standing Committee)
5. Say Phouthang
6. Bou Thang
7. Tea Banh
8. Men Sam An
9. Nguon Nhel
10. Ney Pena
11. Sim Ka
12. Ke Kim Yan
13. Pol Saroeun
14. Kong Sam Ol
15. Im Chhun Lim
16. Dith Munty
17. Chea Chanto
18. Uk Rabun
19. Cheam Yeap
20. Ek Sam Ol
21. Som Kim Suor
22. Khuon Sudary
23. Pen Pannha
24. Chhay Than
25. Hor Nam Hong
26. Bin Chhin
27. Keat Chhon
28. Yim Chhay Ly
29. Tep Ngorn
30. Kun Kim
31. Meas Sophea
32. Neth Savoeun

Electoral history

National Assembly elections

Communal elections

Senate elections

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

• Guo, Sujian (2006). The Political Economy of Asian Transition from Communism. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. .

References

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