2018 Cambodian Senate election

On 11 February 2017, Rainsy resigned as President of the CNRP, and was succeeded by Sokha.[5] On 3 September, Sokha was arrested and charged with treason, raising questions about the party's future.[6] Another act of repression by the government was the closure of the Cambodia Daily newspaper.[7] On 16 November 2017, the CNRP was forcibly dissolved, eliminating any real challenge to the long-ruling CPP.[8] Its seats in parliament were distributed to three other parties.[9] The CNRP was dissolved and revoked the voting rights of its commune councilors and parliamentarians, leading to the arrest of Kem Sokha, a leader of the CNRP, who was arrested on charges of conspiring to overthrow the government with the help of the US. The US and Khem Sokha have both denied the allegations.[10]

The Senate of Cambodia is elected every 6 years by an indirect party-list proportional representation through 8 multi members constituencies (regions), with the Communal Chiefs, Communal Councilors, Members of the National Assembly.[11]

According to the National Election Committee (NEC), three political parties running in next week's Senate election have done virtually little campaigning, which NGOs attribute to the dissolution of the main opposition party. The Cambodian Youth Party, the Khmer National United Party, and Funcinpec are these parties. Sotheara Yoeurng, legal and monitoring officer of the Cambodian Committee for Free and Fair Elections, claimed the three parties were scarcely campaigning owing to the dissolution of the CNRP. Prior to the next Senate election on February 25, the NEC has prohibited all political parties from campaigning on nine key boulevards in Phnom Penh.[12]

The Ballot was arranged in the order of the following:[13]

After the election which saw CPP hold all 58 elected seats, the King nominated Princess Norodom Arunrasmy and Oum Somanin to the Senate[4] and the National Assembly elected two Funcinpec members to the Senate, bringing the 62-member legislative body dominated by the ruling Cambodian People's Party to a close.[18]