Khmer Renovation Party ( km, គណបក្សកំណែទម្រង់ខ្មែរ; ), also translated as Khmer Renewal Party, was an

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...

and

royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gov ...

political party founded in

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 ...

in September 1947. In 1955, it became one of the core elements of the

Sangkum The Sangkum Reastr Niyum ( km, សង្គមរាស្ត្រនិយម, , ;Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-English Dictionary''. Bureau of Special Research in Modern Langu ...

political movement of then Prince

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

. The party is mainly significant because key members

Lon Nol Marshal Lon Nol ( km, លន់ នល់, also ; 13 November 1913 – 17 November 1985) was a Cambodian politician and general who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia twice (1966–67; 1969–71), as well as serving repeatedly as defence min ...

and Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak would go on to lead the right-wing coup of 1970 against Sihanouk and his Sangkum regime.

History

The party was formed by the politician and soldier

Nhiek Tioulong Nhiek Tioulong ( km, ញឹក ជូឡុង; 23 August 1908 – 9 June 1996) was a Cambodian army officer, politician, and actor who served as Acting Prime Minister of Cambodia from 13 February 1962 to 6 August 1962. He was a prominent politi ...

and police chief Lon Nol.Corfield, J. ''History of Cambodia'', ABC-CLIO, 2009, p.57 Its nominal leader was the respected Prince

Sisowath Monipong Sisowath Monipong ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ មុនីពង្ស; 25 August 1912 – 31 August 1956) was the second son of the former King of Cambodia, Sisowath Monivong and Princess Norodom Kanviman Norleak Tevi. He took part in ...

, one of the two sons of King

Sisowath Monivong Sisowath Monivong ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ មុនីវង្ស, ;Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-English Dictionary''. Bureau of Special Research in Modern Langua ...

and one of the candidates for the throne passed over in favour of Sihanouk in 1941. Other prominent members included

Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum Chau Sen Cocsal ( km, ចៅ សែនកុសលឈុំ, ; 1 September 1905 – 22 January 2009), also known as Chhum (Khmer: ឈុំ, ), was a Cambodian civil servant and politician who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia in 1962 and Pres ...

, who acted as an adviser to Tioulong and Nol in founding the party, and Chuop Hell. The party, known informally as the "Renos",Corfield, J. and Summers, L. ''Historical Dictionary of Cambodia'', Scarecrow Press, p.223 had a socially conservative and royalist programme - albeit far more pro-independence than that of the similarly conservative

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

of Prince

Norodom Norindeth Prince Norodom Norindeth ( km, នរោត្តម នរិន្ទដេត, 1906?–1975) was a member of the royal family of Cambodia. Active as a politician and diplomat during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, he started a notable political p ...

- and attracted high-ranking bureaucrats and several members of the royal family as well as military officers.Fukui, Haruhiro. ''Political parties of Asia and the Pacific'', V.1, Greenwood Press, 1985, p.642 Khmer Renovation's "quasi-feudalist" perspective, which emphasised Cambodia and its monarchy's place in world history and the postcolonial order, was symbolised by its chosen

symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...

of the Earth Goddess superimposed on a map of the protectorate. It published a newspaper, ''Khmera'' or ''Rénovation'', in both French and Khmer versions. Monipong was to become the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

of a 'unity' government between June 1950 and February 1951. Lon Nol led the party to the polls in the 1951 elections, where - despite receiving 9.1% of the total vote - it won a total of 2 seats in the Assembly. Although the Khmer Renovation Party had only limited electoral success - neither Lon Nol nor Sirik Matak, later to become prominent politicians, won seats while a party member - it became one of the main political groupings behind the formation of the Sangkum of Prince Sihanouk.Kiernan, B. ''How Pol Pot came to Power'', Yale University Press, 2004, p.158 Nhiek Tioulong was to become Prime Minister under the Sangkum, and was later to become a prominent figure in the pro-royalist FUNCINPEC organisation. Lon Nol was also to become Prime Minister, but along with Sirik Matak was to lead the 1970 coup deposing Sihanouk and instigating the

Khmer Republic The Khmer Republic ( km, សាធារណរដ្ឋខ្មែរ, ; french: République khmère) was a pro-United States military-led republican government of Cambodia that was formally declared on 9 October 1970. The Khmer Republic wa ...

References

{{Cambodian political parties 1947 establishments in French Indochina 1955 disestablishments in Cambodia Buddhist political parties Defunct political parties in Cambodia Monarchist parties in Cambodia Nationalist parties in Cambodia Political parties disestablished in 1955 Political parties established in 1947