The Cambodian People's Party (CPP),

UNGEGN The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) is one of the nine expert groups of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and deals with the national and international standardization of geographical names. ...

: ,

ALA-LC ALA-LC (American Library AssociationLibrary of Congress) is a set of standards for romanization, the representation of text in other writing systems using the Latin script. Applications The system is used to represent bibliographic information by ...

: ; is a Cambodian political party which has ruled

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

since 1979. Founded in 1951, it was originally known as the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP).,

: ,

: ; Adopting a more revisionist view of

Marxism Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

, it allied itself with

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, in contrast to the

Communist Party of Kampuchea The Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK),, Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: , Romanization of Khmer#ALA-LC Romanization Tables, ALA-LC: ; french: Parti communiste du Kampuchea also known as the Khmer Communist Party,Pol Pot Pol Pot; (born Saloth Sâr;; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian revolutionary, dictator, and politician who ruled Cambodia as Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea between 1976 and 1979. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist a ...

, which was pro-

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

. After toppling the

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...

regime In politics, a regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. According to Yale professor Juan Jo ...

with the Vietnamese-backed liberation of

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

, it became the ruling party of the

People's Republic of Kampuchea The People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; vi, Cộng hòa Nhân dân Campuchia was a partially recognised state in Southeast Asia supported by Vietnam which existed from 1979 to 1989. It was founded in Cambodia by the Kamp ...

(1979–1989), which was later renamed the State of Cambodia (1989–1991). The party's current name was adopted during the final year of the State of Cambodia, when the party abandoned the

one-party system A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...

and

Marxism–Leninism Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology which was the main communist movement throughout the 20th century. Developed by the Bolsheviks, it was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, its satellite states in the Eastern Bloc, and various co ...

. Originally rooted in

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

and Marxist–Leninist ideologies, the party took on a more

reformist Reformism is a political doctrine advocating the reform of an existing system or institution instead of its abolition and replacement. Within the socialist movement, reformism is the view that gradual changes through existing institutions can ...

outlook in the mid-1980s under Heng Samrin. In 1991, the CPP officially dropped its commitment to

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

, and has since embraced a

mixed economy A mixed economy is variously defined as an economic system blending elements of a market economy with elements of a planned economy, markets with state interventionism, or private enterprise with public enterprise. Common to all mixed economi ...

and conservative authoritarianism. Along with the major parties of the European centre-right, the CPP is a member of the

Centrist Democrat International The Centrist Democrat International ( es, Internacional Demócrata de Centro) is a Christian-democratic political international. Until 2001, it was known as the Christian Democrat International (CDI); before 1999, it was known as the Christian D ...

History

Forerunner organizations and early history

Nationalists in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos held the belief that to successfully liberate themselves from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

they needed to work together; the nationalists formed the supranational

Indochinese Communist Party The Indochinese Communist Party (ICP), km, បក្សកុម្មុយនីស្តឥណ្ឌូចិន, lo, ອິນດູຈີນພັກກອມມູນິດ, zh, t=印度支那共產黨 was a political party which was t ...

(ICP) to oppose the French in 1930. However, the triumph of the Japanese during the early stage of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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 The Krom Pracheachon ( km, ក្រុមប្រជាជន ; "People's Group"), often referred to simply as Pracheachon, was a Cambodian political party that contested in parliamentary elections in 1955, 1958 and 1972. For much of its exi ...

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

" by Prince

Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; km, នរោត្តម សីហនុ, ; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, Norodom Sihanouk filmography, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in vari ...

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 Chea Sim ( km, ជា ស៊ីម; 15 November 19328 June 2015) was a Cambodian politician. He was President of the Cambodian People's Party from 1991 to 2015, President of the National Assembly of Cambodia from 1981 to 1998 (Vice President fr ...

Hun Sen Hun Sen (; km, ហ៊ុន សែន, ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military commander who has served as the prime minister of Cambodia since 1985. He is the longest-serving head of government of Cambodia, and ...

Chea Soth Chea Soth ( km, ជា សុទ្ធ; 3 March 192821 January 2012) was a Cambodian politician. He belonged to the Cambodian People's Party and was elected to represent Prey Veng Province in the National Assembly of Cambodia The National Ass ...

Math Ly Math Ly (1925–2004) was a Cambodian politician. A former Khmer Rouge cadre, Math Ly later joined the Cambodian People's Party and was elected to represent Kampong Cham in the National Assembly of Cambodia in 2003. Math Ly was born in Kampong ...

Tea Banh Tea Banh ( km, ទៀ បាញ់ ; born 5 November 1945) is a Cambodian politician who is the current Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for National Defence of Cambodia. He is a former general and a member of the Cambodian People's Party an ...

, Men Sam An, Nguon Nhel,

Sar Kheng Sar Kheng ( km, ស ខេង; born 15 January 1951) is a Cambodian politician. One of the highest-ranking members of the ruling Cambodian People's Party, he is the current Minister of the Interior and has served as a Deputy Prime Minister of Ca ...

, Bou Thang,

Ney Pena The ''ney'' ( fa, Ney/نی, ar, Al-Nāy/الناي), is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Persian music and Arabic music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. The ney has been played continually ...

Say Chhum Say Chhum ( km, សាយ ឈុំ; born 5 February 1945) is a Cambodian politician who has been the president of the Senate of Cambodia since 2015. He was the first vice president of the Senate until June 2015, when he succeeded Chea Sim up ...

and alternate members included Sing Song,

Sim Ka Sim Ka is a Cambodian senator. He is a member of the Cambodian People's Party The Cambodian People's Party (CPP), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; is a Cambodian political party which has ruled Cambodia since 1979. Founded in 1951, it was originally kn ...

and Pol Saroeun. Members of the Secretariat were Heng Samrin,

Say Phouthang Say Phouthang ( th, ใส่ ภูทอง; ; d. 2016) was a Cambodian politician and a leader during the People's Republic of Kampuchea The People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; vi, Cộng hòa Nhân dân Campuchia ...

, Bou Thang, Men Sam An and Sar Kheng.

Hun Sen's leadership (1991–present)

In 1991, the party was renamed 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 CPP was not ideologically blind. In fact, it has always adopted a pragmatic approach in order to keep power. For instance, the CPP played an indispensable 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 the leadership of the CPP, Cambodia has been transformed from a war-torn country to a lower-middle-income economy in 2016. It 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 it is the middle path between extreme capitalism and extreme socialism, with the emphasis on the values and principles of

social market economy The social market economy (SOME; german: soziale Marktwirtschaft), also called Rhine capitalism, Rhine-Alpine capitalism, the Rhenish model, and social capitalism, is a socioeconomic model combining a free-market capitalist economic system alon ...

in which free market economy goes hand in hand with social and environmental protection, and the promotion of humanism guided by Buddhist teaching. 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. Prime Minister Hun Sen has continued to lead the party to election victories after the transition to democracy. 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. Since

2018 Cambodian general election General elections were held in Cambodia on Sunday, 29 July 2018 to elect members of the sixth National Assembly. Polling stations opened at 07:00 ( ICT) and closed at 15:00. The number of registered voters has decreased for the first time since ...

, the party commands all 125 seats in the National Assembly, and 58 of 62 seats in the Senate. The main opposition,

Cambodia National Rescue Party ) , headquarters = , ideology = LiberalismLiberal democracyCivic nationalismPopulismAnti-Vietnamese sentiment , position = Centre , international = Liberal International , affiliation1_title = Regional affili ...

(CNRP), was banned before the election. Hun Sen, the 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 (1979–81); ** 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

KPRP (General Secretary) CPP (President)

Organization

The party is headed by a 34-member Permanent Committee, commonly referred to as the

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states. Names The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contraction ...

(after its former Communist namesake). The current members are (with their party positions in brackets): #

(Chairman) # Heng Samrin (Honorary Chairman) #

(Deputy Chairman) #

(Chairman of the Standing Committee) #

# Bou Thang #

# Men Sam An # Nguon Nhel #

Ke Kim Yan Ke Kim Yan (Khmer: ឯកឧត្តម ឧបនាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តី កែ គឹមយ៉ាន) is the former Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Armed Forces of Cambodia and currently one of the ten Deputy Prime Ministe ...

# Pol Saroeun #

Kong Sam Ol Kong Sam Ol ( km, គង់ សំអុល, ; born 1 November 1936) is a Cambodian politician who has been the minister of the Royal Palace since 1998. He was Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from 1986 to 1989. He belongs to the ...

Im Chhun Lim Im Chhun Lim is a Cambodian politician. He belongs to the Cambodian People's Party and was elected to represent Kratié Province in the National Assembly of Cambodia in 2003, and serves as the country's Minister for Land Management, Urban Planning ...

Dith Munty Dith Munty ( km, ឌិត មុន្ទី; born November 15, 1941) is Cambodian politician who is the current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Cambodia. He was appointed by the Supreme Council of the Magistracy and has served in the pos ...

# Chea Chanto # Uk Rabun # Cheam Yeap #

Ek Sam Ol Ek Sam Ol () is a Cambodian politician. He belongs to the Cambodian People's Party The Cambodian People's Party (CPP), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; is a Cambodian political party which has ruled Cambodia since 1979. Founded in 1951, it was origina ...

# Som Kim Suor # Khuon Sudary # Pen Pannha # Chhay Than # Hor Nam Hong # Bin Chhin #

Keat Chhon Keat Chhon ( km, គាត ឈន់; born 11 August 1934) is a Cambodian politician. He belongs to the Cambodian People's Party and was elected to represent Phnom Penh in the National Assembly of Cambodia in 2003. He was the Minister for Econo ...

# Yim Chhay Ly #

Tep Ngorn Tep Ngorn is a Cambodian politician. He belongs to the Cambodian People's Party The Cambodian People's Party (CPP), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; is a Cambodian political party which has ruled Cambodia since 1979. Founded in 1951, it was originally ...

# Kun Kim # Meas Sophea # Neth Savoeun

Recent electoral history

General election

Communal elections

Senate elections

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

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

External links

CPP websiteList of incidents attributed to the Cambodian Peoples Party on the START database
{{Authority control 1951 establishments in Cambodia Communist parties in Cambodia Conservative parties in Cambodia Formerly ruling communist parties Hun Sen National conservative parties Nationalist parties in Cambodia Organizations of the Third Indochina War Parties of one-party systems People's Republic of Kampuchea Political parties established in 1951 Political parties in Cambodia