Government structure of Cambodia

Neutrality

The highest legislative and representative body of Cambodia is the parliament, which consists of two chambers - the National Assembly and the Senate.

The Chambers and the Senate may hold joint meetings, Congress, to resolve critical government issues. The National Assembly is elected for a term of 5 years; Senate - at 6.

Senate

The function of the upper house is carried out by the Senate (Protsapheya), which consists of 61 members. Senate elections are held according to a mixed "French model": 2 members of the Senate are appointed by the head of state and elected by the National Assembly, the remaining 57 members of the house are elected by electors in the so-called "functional constituencies". By a similar electoral system, elections are held in the French Senate .

The Senate is the legislative body that exercises its powers in accordance with applicable law. However, the Constitution of Cambodia does not establish a list of powers of the Senate, noting in article 112 that the Senate fulfills its duties by coordinating its work with the National Assembly and the Royal Government. The procedure for holding the first and regular meetings, the procedure for holding sessions, convening a chamber, making decisions, organizing the work of the Senate are similar to the National Assembly.

The upper house of the Cambodian parliament was first introduced by the 1970 Republican Constitution. The Senate of the Khmer Republic consisted of 40 members who were elected by a mixed system: 3/5 - during indirect elections in the regions of the country, 1/5 - representatives of the civil administration, the remaining deputies - the Council of the Armed Forces. The first and only elections to the Senate of the Khmer Republic were held in 1972, as a result of which all the seats were taken by the Social Republican Party of General Lon Nol .

After the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975, the Senate was abolished. Thus, the Cambodian parliament remained unicameral until the restoration of the monarchy in 1993.

According to the results of the 2012 parliamentary elections, the ruling People’s Party of Cambodia takes 46 seats in the Senate, which is an absolute majority. The remaining 11 seats are held by the opposition Party Raines himself . The next Senate election is scheduled for 2017.

National Assembly

The National Assembly (referred to as the National Assembly in some sources) - the lower house of the Cambodian parliament - consists of 123 deputies elected on the basis of universal, direct, equal elections with secret ballot.

According to the Constitution of Cambodia, the National Assembly is the only legislative body and national representative office performing its duties in accordance with applicable law. The National Assembly, like the parliament of Cambodia as a whole, refers to the legislature with relatively specific competence.

The Constitution of Cambodia falls within the competence of the National Assembly to amend the Constitution, adopt laws, state budget, state development plan, loans, financial agreements, taxes, declare amnesty, use of armed forces, ratify and denounce international treaties.

The National Assembly is organized according to the principle common to modern parliaments. The first session of the National Assembly is convened on the basis of an act of the head of state, which is published no later than 60 days after the election. Before starting work, the National Assembly resolves the issue of the legality of the mandate of each deputy, elects the President of the National Assembly and his deputies with a separate vote of 2/3 votes, and forms parliamentary commissions. Prior to assuming office, all deputies of the National Assembly take the oath, the text of which is defined in the appendix to the Constitution.

Sessions of the National Assembly are held twice a year, the duration of each session is at least 3 months. Between the sessions of the National Assembly, the work is carried out by the Standing Committee, which includes the President of the National Assembly, his deputies and chairmen of the chamber commissions. The Standing Committee of the National Assembly has the right to convene an extraordinary session of the House at the proposal of the head of state, the Prime Minister or one third of the deputies of the National Assembly.

The Cambodian Constitution mandates the National Assembly in a state of emergency to hold daily meetings. In this case, the duration of the state of emergency may be extended if the National Assembly cannot hold its meetings due to occupation by the armed forces of the enemy.

Head of State

The head of state in Cambodia is the King, which symbolizes the unity and immortality of the nation. The king is the head of state for life and is enthroned by the Council of the Court.

In accordance with the Constitution, the head of state is the guarantor of national independence, sovereignty and territorial unity of the state, the defender of the rights and freedoms of its citizens, as well as the guarantor of international agreements. The king fulfills the August role of an impartial judge in securing a fair state power. King of Cambodia ideas of liberal democracy and political pluralism .

The main powers of the head of state are:

• appeal to the National Assembly with messages that cannot be discussed by parliamentarians;
• the appointment and dismissal of senior officials (including the Prime Minister and members of the government);
• hearing reports of the Council of Ministers on the situation in the country;
• signing of international agreements (after their preliminary approval by parliament);
• the establishment and awarding of state awards, ranks and honorary titles (as advised by the Council of Ministers);
• issuance of decrees and announcement of adopted laws;
• amnesty announcement.

In the event of a threat to citizens, the head of state, in consultation with the Prime Minister and the chairmen of the chambers of parliament, announces the introduction of a state of emergency in the country. In addition, the head of Cambodia acts as the Supreme Commander of the Royal Armed Forces, as well as the chairman of the Supreme Council of National Defense.

Government