Nearly four decades on, January 7th remains by far the most significant fault-line in contemporary Cambodian politics, a pivot-point for two competing political myths. Exploring the origin and content of these myths - which is the focus of this paper - is important because they remain a primary obstacle to the formulation of new politics driven by consensus, dialogue, and mutual respect, rather than the fierce hostility which has characterized Cambodian politics since the country’s independence. As long as Cambodian politicians continue fighting old battles, they will struggle to put forward concrete policies that stand any chance of addressing the challenges of the 21st century.

This snapshot provides a brief background of the existing legal framework and the formulas for recalculating the number of National Assembly (NA) seats – and their distribution across provinces – as stipulated in the Law on Election of Members of the National Assembly (LEMNA) in the Kingdom of Cambodia. In the context of upcoming national elections due to be held in July 2018, this snapshot argues that the seat numbers and allocation provided for in the latest iteration of the LEMNA are inadequate and provides an alternative figure based solely on population projections.

This paper provides a brief overview and analysis of the current political situation in Cambodia, focusing on the strategies being employed by each major player, the historical trends behind these methods and the risks they pose for Cambodia. This is a summary of a long paper, which provides in-depth analysis; please contact Future Forum for access to the full-length document.

This snapshot provides an overview of socio-economic changes in Cambodia that may be affecting voting habits. It is specifically focused on changes in employment and consumption patterns and uses socio-economic changes as indicators of social change. To conclude, the snapshot makes the argument that politicians should embrace the reality of this social change and start addressing real political issues that correspond to the need of people.

This snapshot provides an explanation of the seat allocation formulas to political parties that have been utilized in Cambodia’s electoral process. It gives a comparison between two seat allocation methods including “largest remainder” method, which was applied in 1993, and the “highest average” method, which has been applied since 1998.

This paper briefly outlines some of the historical foundations and modern re-interpretations that have conflated to engender Cambodia ́s contemporary political articulations.