View source for Cambodian People's Party

{{Short description|Ruling party of Cambodia since 1979}}
{{Distinguish|Pracheachon}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = Cambodian People's Party
| native_name      = {{lang|km|គណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា}}
| native_name_lang = km
| lang1            = Khmer
| name_lang1       = {{lang|km|គណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា}}
| abbreviation     = CPP<br />KPRP (before 1991)
| logo             = Cpplogo.PNG
| logo_size        = 
| logo_alt         = Logo of the Cambodian People's Party, featuring an angel spreading flowers, surrounded by golden rice stalks and a demi cogwheel, and party's name in Khmer on the ribbon
| caption          = Logo of the party, featuring an angel spreading flowers, surrounded by golden rice stalks and a demi cogwheel.
| colorcode        = {{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}
| president        = [[Hun Sen]]
| leader1_title    = Vice Presidents
| leader1_name     = [[Say Chhum]]<br />[[Sar Kheng]]<br />[[Tea Banh]]<br />[[Men Sam An]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50994711/dpms-tea-banh-and-men-sam-an-elected-as-vps-of-ruling-party/|title=DPMs Tea Banh and Men Sam An elected as VPs of ruling party|work=[[Khmer Times]]|date=24 December 2021|access-date=24 December 2021}}</ref><br />[[Hun Manet]]
| founders         = [[Son Ngoc Minh]]<br />[[Tou Samouth]]
| foundation       = 28 June 1951<br>({{age in years and days|1951|06|28}})<br>{{small|(original)}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/cpp-set-mark-anniversary-vows-maintain-public-trust|title=CPP set to mark anniversary, vows to maintain public trust|first=Chheng|last=Niem|work=[[The Phnom Penh Post]]|date=26 June 2019|access-date=26 June 2019}}</ref><hr> 5 January 1979<br>({{age in years and days|1979|01|05}})<br>{{small|(reconstruction)}}
| dissolution      = 
| wing1_title      = [[Military|Armed wing]]
| wing1            = [[Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Armed Forces]]<br>(1979–1989)<hr>[[Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Armed Forces|Cambodian People's Armed Forces]]<br>(1989–1993)
| youth_wing       = [[People's Revolutionary Youth Union of Kampuchea]]<br>(1979–1989)<hr>Central Youth of the Cambodian People's Party<br>(present)
| split            = [[Indochinese Communist Party]]<br>[[Communist Party of Kampuchea]] (de-facto)
| ideology         = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| | [[Khmer nationalism|Cambodian nationalism]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Entrepreneurship in the Polis|first=Inga N.|last=Aflaki|year=2016|publisher=Routledge|page=196|isbn=9781472423993 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OqEQBgAAQBAJ}}</ref>
 | [[Conservatism]]<ref>{{cite news|first=Casey|last=Quackenbush|url=https://time.com/5486460/pol-pot-cambodia-1979/|title=40 Years After the Fall of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia Still Grapples With Pol Pot's Brutal Legacy|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=7 January 2019|access-date=7 December 2019|archive-date=23 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220323200747/https://time.com/5486460/pol-pot-cambodia-1979/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 | [[Monarchism]]{{refn|<ref>{{cite news|first=Chan Thul|last=Prak|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cambodia-politics/cambodian-government-criminalizes-insult-of-monarchy-idUSKBN1FM219|title=Cambodian government criminalizes insult of monarchy|magazine=[[Reuters]]|date=2 February 2018|access-date=21 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Reaksmey|last=Hul|url=https://www.voacambodia.com/a/hun-sen-former-opposition-leader-in-row-over-loyalty-to-royals/4630705.html|title=Hun Sen, Former Opposition Leader in Row Over 'Loyalty to Royals'|magazine=[[Voice of America]]|date=27 October 2018|access-date=21 June 2019}}</ref>}}
 | '''Before 1991:'''
 | [[Communism]]<ref>{{cite journal |first=Astrid |last=Norén-Nilsson |year=2022 |title=Liberalism in Cambodia: Broken Lineages |journal=Asian Studies Review |doi=10.1080/10357823.2022.2041551 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |page=9 |quote=This is rooted in an anti-Communist analysis opposing the incumbent, formerly Communist, Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), and perceived foreign Communist influence over it.}}</ref>
 | [[Marxism–Leninism]]<ref name="VickeryCPP">{{cite journal |last1=Vickery |first1=Michael |title=The Cambodian People's Party: Where Has It Come From, Where Is It Going? |journal=Southeast Asian Affairs |date=1 January 1994 |volume=21 |page=102 |doi=10.1355/SEAA94G |doi-broken-date=1 July 2025 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1308074383|id={{ProQuest|1308074383}}|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
}}
| successor        = 
| headquarters     = [[Cambodian–Vietnamese War|7 January]] Palace<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cambodianess.com/article/new-30m-cpp-headquarters-inaugurated|title=New $30M CPP Headquarters Inaugurated|work=Cambodianess|date=29 June 2020|accessdate=30 May 2024}}</ref><br />203 [[Norodom Boulevard]], [[Phnom Penh]], Cambodia
| religion         = 
| international    = [[Centrist Democrat International]]
| national         = [[Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation]]<br>(1978–1981)<hr>[[Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation|Kampuchean United Front for National Construction and Defence]]<br>(1981–2006)<hr>[[Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation|Solidarity Front for Development of the Cambodian Motherland]]<br>(present)
| membership_year  = 2023
| membership       = {{increase}} 7,100,000<ref name=members>{{cite web|url=https://english.news.cn/20231210/f847422e82d14682bec3ff2a97622430/c.html|title=Cambodian PM elected as ruling party's vice president|publisher=Xinhua|date=10 December 2023|access-date=16 January 2024}}</ref>
| position         = {{ubl|class=nowrap|[[Big tent]]{{efn|The party presents itself as big tent,<ref name="Routledge"/> although it has also been described as [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]],<ref name="buben"/> leftist,<ref name="palgrave_norms">{{cite book |title=The Palgrave Handbook of Political Norms in Southeast Asia |first1=Gabriel |last1=Facal |first2=Elsa |last2=Lafaye de Micheaux |first3=Astrid |last3=Norén-Nilsson |isbn=978-981-99-9655-1 |doi=10.1007/978-981-99-9655-1 |page=439 |quote=But, the rift is not between the CPP and the opposition: the rift is between the conservatives—whether leftist, represented by the CPP, or rightist, represented by the FUNCINPEC and part of the opposition represented by Kem Sokha—and, on the other side, the SRP, which represents the real Republicans and anti-royalist, anti-monarchy people. |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2025}}</ref> and [[Left-conservatism|left-conservative]].<ref name="palgrave_norms"/>}}|'''Before 1991''':|[[Far-left politics|Far-left]]<ref name="VickeryCPP"/>}}
| newspaper        = 
| anthem           = "បទចម្រៀងនៃគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា"<br />("Anthem of the Cambodian People's Party"){{parabr}}[[File:Anthem of the Cambodian People's Party.ogg|175px]]
| colors           = {{color box|#1E90FF|border=darkgray}} [[Sky blue]]
| slogan           = "ឯករាជ្យ សន្តិភាព សេរីភាព ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ អព្យាក្រឹត និងវឌ្ឍនភាពសង្គម"<br />("Independence, Peace, Freedom, Democracy, Neutrality and Social Progress")
| seats1_title     = [[Senate (Cambodia)|Senate]]
| seats1           = {{composition bar|55|62|hex=#1E90FF}}
| seats2_title     = [[National Assembly (Cambodia)|National Assembly]]
| seats2           = {{composition bar|120|125|hex=#1E90FF}}
| seats3_title     = [[List of communes in Cambodia|Commune chiefs]]
| seats3           = {{composition bar|1648|1652|hex=#1E90FF}}
| seats4_title     = [[Commune Council (Cambodia)|Commune councillors]]
| seats4           = {{composition bar|9376|11622|hex=#1E90FF}}
| seats5_title     = [[Politics of Cambodia#Provincial and local governments|Provincial, municipal, town and district councillors]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national-politics/ministry-councillors-be-appointed-next-monday|title=Ministry: Councillors to be appointed by next Monday|first=Savi|last=Khorn|work=[[The Phnom Penh Post]]|date=11 June 2019|access-date=17 June 2019}}</ref>
| seats5           = {{composition bar|3761|4114|hex=#1E90FF}}
| flag             =
| website          = {{URL|https://www.cpp.org.kh|cpp.org.kh}}
| country          = Cambodia
| seats6_title     = Provincial Governors
| seats6           = {{composition bar|25|25|hex=#1E90FF}}
| footnotes        = {{notelist}}
}}
The '''Cambodian People's Party''' ('''CPP'''; {{langx|km|គណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា|Keanapak Pracheachon Kampuchea}} {{IPA|km|keanapaʔ prɑciəcɔn kampuciə|}}) is a [[List of political parties in Cambodia|political party in Cambodia]] which has ruled the country since [[Cambodian–Vietnamese War|1979]]. Founded in 1951, it was originally known as the '''Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party''' ('''KPRP''').{{efn|{{langx|km|គណបក្សប្រជាជនបដិវត្តន៍កម្ពុជា}}, [[Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN|UNGEGN]]: {{Transliteration|km|Keanapak Pracheachon Padevoat Kampuchea}}; {{IPA|km|keanapaʔ prɑciəcɔn paɗeʋɔət kampuciə}}}}

During the [[Cold War]] it allied itself with [[Vietnam]] and the [[Soviet Union]], in contrast to the pro-Chinese [[Communist Party of Kampuchea]] led by [[Pol Pot]].<ref name=chandler1983>{{Cite journal|first1=David P.|last1=Chandler|first2=D. P.|last2=C.|date=1983|title=Revising the Past in Democratic Kampuchea: When Was the Birthday of the Party?|journal=[[Pacific Affairs]]|volume=56|issue=2|pages=288–300|doi=10.2307/2758655|jstor=2758655}}</ref> After toppling the [[Khmer Rouge]]'s [[Democratic Kampuchea|Democratic Kampuchea regime]] with the Vietnamese-backed liberation of [[Phnom Penh]], it became the ruling party of the [[People's Republic of Kampuchea]] (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 state|one-party system]] and [[Marxism–Leninism]].

Originally rooted in [[Communism|communist]] and Marxist–Leninist ideologies, the party took on a more [[Reformism|reformist]] outlook in the mid-1980s under [[Heng Samrin]]. In 1991, the CPP officially dropped its commitment to [[socialism]], and has since embraced a [[mixed economy]]. Along with some major parties of the European centre-right, the CPP is a member of the [[Centrist Democrat International]]. It presents itself as a [[big tent]] of supporters of the Prime Minister [[Hun Sen]].<ref name="Routledge">{{cite book |quote="The CPP presents itself as a '''big tent''' in which any opponent is welcome, as long as they divest themselves of political ambitions, humbly accept their place in the scheme of ksae, and recognize the leadership and superior omnaich of Prime Minister Hun Sen." |page=79 |title=The Handbook of Contemporary Cambodia |year=2017 |first1=Katherine |last1=Brickell |first2=Simon |last2=Springer |first3=Sebastian |last3=Strangio |series=Routledge Handbooks |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-73670-9}}</ref> Nevertheless, the party met with the [[Socialist International]] in 2004 and remains a close ally of the [[Communist Party of Vietnam]].<ref name="fes"/> The CPP claims an official membership of more than 7 million members, making it one of the [[List of largest political parties|largest political parties in the world]].<ref name="members"/>

The party's rule has been described as [[authoritarian]].{{refn|<ref name="Forbes">{{cite web |author=Bahree, Megha |date=24 September 2014 |title=In Cambodia, A Close Friendship With The PM Leads To Vast Wealth For One Power Couple |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/meghabahree/2014/09/24/who-you-know-inc-in-cambodia-a-close-friendship-with-the-pm-leads-to-vast-wealth-for-one-power-couple/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028121604/http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghabahree/2014/09/24/who-you-know-inc-in-cambodia-a-close-friendship-with-the-pm-leads-to-vast-wealth-for-one-power-couple/ |archive-date=28 October 2014 |access-date=28 October 2014 |work=Forbes}}</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book |author=David Roberts |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SnYWDAAAQBAJ&pg=PR9 |title=Political Transition in Cambodia 1991–99: Power, Elitism and Democracy |date=29 April 2016 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-136-85054-7 |access-date=12 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210165717/https://books.google.com/books?id=SnYWDAAAQBAJ&pg=PR9 |archive-date=10 February 2023 |url-status=live}} (section XI, "Recreating Elite Stability, July 1997 to July 1998")</ref><ref name="Southeast Asian Studies">{{cite journal |last1= Cock |first1= Andrew |date= 4 May 2010 |title= External actors and the relative autonomy of the ruling elite in post-UNTAC Cambodia |url= https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-southeast-asian-studies/article/abs/external-actors-and-the-relative-autonomy-of-the-ruling-elite-in-postuntac-cambodia/8FD2847C865494A45C4E72E348D3DE55 |journal= Journal of Southeast Asian Studies |volume= 41 |issue= 2 |pages= 241–265 |doi= 10.1017/S0022463410000044 |access-date= 12 September 2024 |publisher= Cambridge University Press|url-access= subscription}}</ref><ref name="Southeast Asia Politics">{{cite book |date= 3 March 2020 |title= The Political Economy of Southeast Asia Politics and Uneven Development Under Hyperglobalisation |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=B1TUDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22authoritarian+Cambodian+People%27s+Party%22&pg=PA112 |location= Germany |publisher= Springer International Publishing |page= 112 |isbn= 978-3-030-28255-4 |access-date= 12 September 2024}}</ref><ref>http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-20/cambodia-changes-political-rules-in-triumph-of-dictatorship/8287662</ref><ref name="Duncan McCargo 2005, p. 98">Duncan McCargo, « Cambodia: Getting Away with Authoritarianism? », Journal of Democracy, vol. 16, no 4, octobre 2005, p. 98</ref>}}

== History ==

=== Forerunner organizations and early history ===
{{Infobox political party
| name              = Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party
| native_name       = {{lang|km|បក្សប្រជាជនបដិវត្តន៍កម្ពុជា។}}
| logo              = Hammer and sickle red on transparent.svg
| colorcode         = {{party color|Communist Party of Kampuchea}}
| general_secretary = {{ubl|1979–1981:|[[Pen Sovan]]|1981–1989:|[[Heng Samrin]]}}
| founded           = 5 January 1979 (modern organization)<br>({{age in years and days|1979|01|05}})
| ideology          = [[Communism]]<br>[[Marxism–Leninism]]<br>[[Buddhist socialism]]<br>Pro-[[Vietnam]]<br>Anti-[[Khmer Rouge]] 
| headquarters      = [[Phnom Penh]], [[Cambodia]]
| international     = 
| country           = [[Cambodia]]
| dissolved         = {{start date and age|1991}}
| colours           = 
| native_name_lang  = km
| governing_body    = 
| predecessor       = [[Communist Party of Kampuchea]]
| successor         = Cambodian People's Party
| youth_wing        = [[People's Revolutionary Youth Union of Kampuchea]]
| position          = [[Far-left politics|Far-left]]
| religion          = 
| slogan            = "ភាពជាអ្នកជិតខាងល្អ មិត្តភាពប្រពៃណី កិច្ចសហប្រតិបត្តិការគ្រប់ជ្រុងជ្រោយ និងនិរន្តរភាពយូរអង្វែង"<br>("Good neighborliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability")
| flag              = Communist Hammer and Sickle flag.svg
| leader1_title     = 
| leader1_name      = 
| seats1_title      = 
| seats1            = 
| wing1             = [[Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Armed Forces]]
| wing1_title       = [[Military|Armed wing]]
}}
Nationalists in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos held the belief that to successfully liberate themselves from [[France]] they needed to work together; the nationalists formed the supranational [[Indochinese Communist Party]] (ICP) to oppose the French in 1930.

However, the triumph of the Japanese during the early stage of [[World War II]] 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 Protectorate of Cambodia|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]]''' 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 '''[[Communist Party of Kampuchea]]''' (CPK) in 1966. Members of the CPK moved the party's headquarters to [[Ratanakiri Province]], where they were termed "[[Khmer Rouge]]" by Prince [[Norodom Sihanouk]].

=== Pen Sovan's leadership (1979–1981) ===
In early 1979, the Cambodian communists who overthrew the [[Democratic Kampuchea|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]], [[Hun Sen]], [[Chea Soth]], [[Math Ly]], [[Tea Banh]], [[Men Sam An]], [[Nguon Nhel]], [[Sar Kheng]], [[Bou Thang]], [[Ney Pena]], [[Say Chhum]] and alternate members included Sing Song, [[Sim Ka]] and [[Pol Saroeun]]. Members of the Secretariat were [[Heng Samrin]], [[Say Phouthang]], [[Bou Thang]], Men Sam An and Sar Kheng.

=== Hun Sen's leadership (1991–2023) ===
{{Original research|section|date=June 2021}}
[[File:Hun Sen addresses the crowd during Cambodian People's Party.jpg|thumb|Hun Sen addresses the crowd at a campaign rally in Phnom Penh.]]
In 1991, the party was renamed to the '''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 party adopted a pragmatic approach in order to keep power. For instance, the CPP played a major 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.

{{Politics of Cambodia}}

Under CPP rule, Cambodia transitioned into a lower-middle-income economy in 2016. The party 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 the CPP presents a [[Third Way|middle path]] between capitalism and communism, with emphasis on the values and principles of [[social market economy]] along with social and environmental protection, and Buddhist humanism. 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.

Political scientists Radek Buben, Elvin Franisco Rodríguez Fabilena and Karel Kouba classify the CPP under Hun Sen as left-wing, comparing it to the [[Sandinista National Liberation Front]] in terms of both authoritarian governance and representing formerly far-left revolutionary organizations that transitioned into a more reformist type of governance.<ref name="buben">{{cite journal |title=The Return of Sultanism and Political Repression in Nicaragua |first1=Radek |last1=Buben |first2=Elvin Franisco |last2=Rodríguez Fabilena |first3=Karel |last3=Kouba |doi=10.4067/s0718-090x2024005000119 |issn=0718-090X |journal=Revista de Ciencia Política |volume=44 |issue=2 |url=https://www.scielo.cl/pdf/revcipol/2024nahead/0718-090X-revcipol-s0718-090x2024005000119.pdf |year=2024 |quote="Similar to Ortega, Hun Sen gradually obtained a full control of a once factious and internally divided left wing CPP, outlawed all genuine opposition, suppressing protests and civil society (Sutton 2018, Conochie 2023)." |publisher=[[SciELO]] |location=Santiago |page=15}}</ref> The Palgrave Handbook of Political Norms in Southeast Asia described the CPP as "leftist conservatives".<ref name="palgrave_norms">{{cite book |title=The Palgrave Handbook of Political Norms in Southeast Asia |first1=Gabriel |last1=Facal |first2=Elsa |last2=Lafaye de Micheaux |first3=Astrid |last3=Norén-Nilsson |isbn=978-981-99-9655-1 |doi=10.1007/978-981-99-9655-1 |page=439 |quote=But, the rift is not between the CPP and the opposition: the rift is between the conservatives—whether leftist, represented by the CPP, or rightist, represented by the FUNCINPEC and part of the opposition represented by Kem Sokha—and, on the other side, the SRP, which represents the real Republicans and anti-royalist, anti-monarchy people. |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2025}}</ref> The party was also described as "left-leaning" in a [[Deutsche Welle]] article in 2012.<ref name="dw_l">{{cite web |url=https://www.dw.com/en/new-alliance-could-spell-trouble-for-cambodias-ruling-party/a-16151245 |title=Unified opposition |date=9 August 2012 |quote="Cambodian experts say the merger of the two main opposition parties has worried Prime Minister Hun Sen's left-leaning Cambodian People's Party (CPP), which has been in power since 1979." |first=Chheng |last=Niem |editor1=Shamil Shams |editor2=Michael Knigge |website=[[Deutsche Welle]]}}</ref> Sreinith Ten also argues that the party "had embedded the legacy of communism based on Marxist-Leninist ideology", and continues to cling onto socialist-oriented rhetoric and policies to maintain legitimacy, such as through promoting [[gender equality|gender egalitarianism]] and establishing state-backed organizations such as the Kampuchea Revolutionary Women's Association.<ref name="ten">{{cite book |title=Cambodia: Women's Legislative Representation 1993–2013 |first=Sreinith |last=Ten |department=Department of Political Science |publisher=Northern Illinois University |year=2014 |page=2}}</ref> The CPP hosted a [[Socialist International]] meeting in 2004, remains a close ally of the [[Communist Party of Vietnam]], and most of the party members are former communists.<ref name="fes">{{cite journal |url=https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/06070.pdf |title=Social Democratic Parties in Southeast Asia – Chances and Limits |first=Norbert |last=von Hofmann |date=January 2009 |journal=Friedrich Ebert Stiftung |page=20}}</ref> The CPP also retains socialist party organisation.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Transitions of Cambodia: War and Peace, 1954 to the present |department=Project Working Paper |issue=2 |journal=Social and Political Fractures After Wars: Youth Violence in Cambodia and Guatemala |first=Oliver |last=Hensengerth |date=October 2008 |publisher=Institute for Development and Peace (INEF) |url=https://researchportal.northumbria.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/3028723/wp2_cambodia_transitions.pdf |page=48}}</ref>

It won 64 of the 123 seats in the National Assembly in the [[1998 Cambodian general election|1998 elections]], 73 seats in the [[2003 Cambodian general election|2003 elections]] and 90 seats in the [[2008 Cambodian general election|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 Cambodian general election|2013 elections]], with opposition gained. Since [[2018 Cambodian general election]], the party commands all 125 seats in the National Assembly, and 58 of 62 seats in the Senate. The main opposition, the [[Cambodia National Rescue Party]] (CNRP), was banned before the election.<ref>{{cite news |title= Cambodian electoral clean-sweep – DW – 08/15/2018 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/cambodia-hun-sen-sweeps-all-in-election-result/a-45096365 |work=dw.com |language=en}}</ref>  Hun Sen, the former 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<!-- Years of Service needed -->
* Kong Korm: 
** Minister of Foreign Affairs (1986–1987)
* Hor Namhong: 
** Minister of Foreign Affairs (1990–1993)

==List of party leaders==
{{Infobox official post
| post = President
| body = the Cambodian People's Party
| native_name = ប្រធានគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា
| insignia = Cambodian People's Party (emblem).png
| insigniasize = 100px
| insigniacaption = Emblem of the Cambodian People's Party
| flag = 
| flagsize = 125px
| flagcaption = 
| image = Hun_Sen_July_2019.jpg
| incumbent = [[Hun Sen]]
| incumbentsince = 20 June 2015
| department = 
| style = 
| status = 
| type = [[Party leader]]
| member_of = 
| residence = 
| seat = [[Phnom Penh]], Cambodia
| constituting_instrument = 
| appointer = 
| formation = {{start date and age|df=y|1951|6|28}}
| first = [[Tou Samouth]] (as General Secretary)
| last = 
| abolished = 
| deputy = Vice President
}}

{{color box|red}} KPRP (General Secretary) {{color box|#1E90FF}} CPP (President)
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope=col rowspan="2" | {{noh}}
! rowspan="2" colspan="2"|Portrait
! rowspan="2" style="width:8em;"|Name<br />{{small|(Birth–Death)}}
! colspan="3"|Term of office
! rowspan="2"|Office held
! rowspan="2"|Vice President
|-
! scope=col style="width:5em;"|From
! scope=col style="width:5em;"|To
! scope=col style="width:5em;"|Duration
|-
! 1
! style="background-color:red"|
| style="text-align:center"| 
| style="text-align:center"|<big>'''[[Tou Samouth]]'''</big><br />{{lang|km|ទូ សាមុត}}<br />{{small|(1915–1962)}}
| style="text-align:center"|21 September 1951
| style="text-align:center"|30 September 1960
| style="text-align:center"|{{age in years and days|1951|9|21|1960|9|30}}
| style="text-align:center"|―
| style="text-align:center"|―
|-
! 2
! style="background-color:red"|
| style="text-align:center"| 
| style="text-align:center"|<big>'''[[Pen Sovan]]'''</big><br />{{lang|km|ប៉ែន សុវណ្ណ}}<br />{{small|(1936–2016)}}
| style="text-align:center"|5 January 1979
| style="text-align:center"|5 December 1981
| style="text-align:center"|{{age in years and days|1979|1|5|1981|12|5}}
| [[Ministry of National Defence (Cambodia)|Minister of Defence]] (1979–1981)
[[List of prime ministers of Cambodia|Prime Minister]] (1981)
| style="text-align:center"|―
|-
! 3
! style="background-color:red"|
| style="text-align:center"|[[File:Samdech Heng Samrin 2018 cropped.jpg|80px]]
| style="text-align:center"|<big>'''[[Heng Samrin]]'''</big><br />{{lang|km|ហេង សំរិន}}<br />{{small|(born 1934)}}
| style="text-align:center"|5 December 1981
| style="text-align:center"|17 October 1991
| style="text-align:center"|{{age in years and days|1981|12|5|1991|10|17}}
| [[President of Cambodia|Chairman of the People's Revolutionary Council]] (1979–1981), [[List of heads of state of Cambodia|President of the Council of State]] (1981–1992), [[List of presidents of the National Assembly (Cambodia)|President of the National Assembly]] (2006–2023)
| style="text-align:center"|―
|-
! 4
! style="background-color:#1E90FF"|
| style="text-align:center"|[[File:Chea Sim 3x4.jpg|80px]]
| style="text-align:center"|<big>'''[[Chea Sim]]'''</big><br />{{lang|km|ជា ស៊ីម}}<br />{{small|(1932–2015)}}
| style="text-align:center"|17 October 1991
| style="text-align:center"|8 June 2015'''†'''
| style="text-align:center"|{{age in years and days|1991|10|17|2015|6|8}}
| [[List of presidents of the National Assembly of Cambodia|Chairman of the National Assembly]] (1981–1993), 
[[President of Cambodia|President of the Council of State]] (1992–1993), [[List of Presidents of the Senate of Cambodia|President of the Senate]] (1999–2015)
|[[Hun Sen]]
|-
! rowspan="5" | 5
! style="background-color:#1E90FF" rowspan="5"|
| style="text-align:center" rowspan="5" |[[File:Hun Sen in July 2019.jpg|80px]]
| style="text-align:center" rowspan="5" |<big>'''[[Hun Sen]]'''</big><br />{{lang|km|ហ៊ុន សែន}}<br />{{small|(born 1952)}}
| style="text-align:center" rowspan="5" |20 June 2015  
| style="text-align:center" rowspan="5" |Present
| style="text-align:center" rowspan="5" |{{age in years and days|2015|6|20}}
| rowspan="5" | [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Cambodia)#Ministers|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] (1979–1986, 1988–1990), 
[[Prime Minister of Cambodia|Prime Minister]] (1985–2023), [[List of presidents of the Senate of Cambodia|President of the Senate]] (2024–)
|[[Sar Kheng]]
|-
|[[Say Chhum]]
|-
|[[Men Sam An]]
|-
|[[Tea Banh]]
|-
|[[Hun Manet]]
|-
|}

===Timeline===
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:16
PlotArea = top:10 bottom:100 right:150 left:20
AlignBars = late

Define $today = {{#time:d/m/Y}}

Colors =
 id:kprp value:rgb(0.90,0.10,0.10) legend:Kampuchean_People's_Revolutionary_Party
 id:cpp value:rgb(0.12,0.56,1) legend:Cambodian_People's_Party
 id:gray1       value:gray(0.85)
 id:gray2       value:gray(0.95)

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1951 till:$today
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:gray1 unit:year increment:5 start:1951
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:gray2 unit:year increment:1 start:1951

Legend = columns:1 left:150 top:60 columnwidth:100

TextData =
  pos:(20,63) textcolor:black fontsize:M
  text:"Political party:"

BarData =
 bar:Samouth
 bar:Sovan
 bar:Samrin
 bar:Sim
 bar:Sen
 
PlotData=
  width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till

 bar:Samouth
  from: 21/09/1951 till: 30/09/1960 color:kprp text:"[[Tou Samouth]]"
 bar:Sovan
  from: 05/01/1979 till: 05/12/1981 color:kprp      text:"[[Pen Sovan]]"
 bar:Samrin 
  from: 05/12/1981 till: 17/10/1991 color:kprp text:"[[Heng Samrin]]"
 bar:Sim
  from: 17/10/1991 till: 08/06/2015 color:cpp text:"[[Chea Sim]]"
 bar:Sen
  from: 20/06/2015 till: $today     color:cpp text:"[[Hun Sen]]"
}}

== Organization ==
The party is headed by a 34-member Permanent Committee, commonly referred to as the [[Politburo]] (after its former Communist namesake). The current members are (with their party positions in brackets):
{{div col|colwidth=10em}} 
# [[Hun Sen]] (Chairman)
# [[Heng Samrin]] (Honorary Chairman)
# [[Sar Kheng]] (Deputy Chairman)
# [[Say Chhum]] (Chairman of the Standing Committee)
# [[Say Phouthang]] 
# [[Bou Thang]]
# [[Tea Banh]]
# [[Men Sam An]]
# [[Nguon Nhel]] 
# [[Ney Pena]]
# [[Sim Ka]]
# [[Ke Kim Yan]]
# [[Pol Saroeun]]
# [[Kong Sam Ol]]
# [[Im Chhun Lim]]
# [[Dith Munty]]
# [[Chea Chanto]]
# [[Uk Rabun]]
# [[Cheam Yeap]]
# [[Ek Sam Ol]]
# [[Som Kim Suor]]
# [[Khuon Sudary]]
# [[Pen Pannha]]
# [[Chhay Than]]
# [[Hor Nam Hong]]
# [[Bin Chhin]]
# [[Keat Chhon]]
# [[Yim Chhay Ly]]
# [[Tep Ngorn]]
# [[Kun Kim]]
# [[Meas Sophea]]
# [[Neth Savoeun]]
{{div col end}}

== Electoral history ==

=== National Assembly  elections ===
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
! rowspan="2" | Year
! rowspan="2" | Party leader
! rowspan="2" | Candidate
! colspan="3" | Votes
! colspan="2" | [[National Assembly (Cambodia)|Seats]]
! rowspan="2" | Position
! rowspan="2" | Government
|-
! #
! %
! ±
! #
! ±
|-
! [[1981 Cambodian general election|1981]]
| colspan="2"|[[Pen Sovan]]
| 2,898,709
| 90.3
| ''New'' 
| {{Composition bar|117|117|hex={{party color|Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party}}}}
| ''New'' 
| {{increase}} 1st
| {{yes2|[[People's Republic of Kampuchea|KPRP]]}} 
|-
! [[1993 Cambodian general election|1993]]
| rowspan="5"|[[Chea Sim]]
| rowspan="5"|[[Hun Sen]]
| 1,533,471
| 38.2
| {{decrease}} 52.1
| {{Composition bar|51|120|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 66
| {{decrease}} 2nd
| {{yes2|[[FUNCINPEC]]–CPP–[[Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party|BLDP]]–[[MOULINAKA]]}}
|-
! [[1998 Cambodian general election|1998]]
| 2,030,790
| 41.4
| {{increase}} 3.2
| {{Composition bar|64|122|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 13
| {{increase}} 1st
| {{yes2|CPP–FUNCINPEC}}
|-
! [[2003 Cambodian general election|2003]]
| 2,447,259
| 47.3
| {{increase}} 5.9
| {{Composition bar|73|123|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 9
| {{steady}} 1st
| {{yes2|CPP–FUNCINPEC}}
|-
! [[2008 Cambodian general election|2008]]
| 3,492,374
| 58.1
| {{increase}} 10.8
| {{Composition bar|90|123|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 17
| {{steady}} 1st
| {{yes2|CPP–FUNCINPEC}}
|-
! [[2013 Cambodian general election|2013]]
| 3,235,969
| 48.8
| {{decrease}} 9.3
| {{Composition bar|68|123|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 22
| {{steady}} 1st
| {{yes2|CPP}}
|-
! [[2018 Cambodian general election|2018]]
| colspan="2"|[[Hun Sen]]
| 4,889,113
| 76.8
| {{increase}} 28.0
| {{Composition bar|125|125|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 57
| {{steady}} 1st
| {{yes2|CPP}}
|-
! [[2023 Cambodian general election|2023]]
|[[Hun Sen]]
|[[Hun Manet]] 
| 6,398,311
| 82.3
| {{increase}} 5.5
| {{Composition bar|120|125|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 5 
| {{steady}} 1st
| {{yes2|CPP}}
|-
|}

=== Communal elections ===
{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
!rowspan=2|Year
!rowspan="2"|Leader
!colspan=3|Votes
!colspan=2|[[Communes of Cambodia|Chiefs]] 
!colspan=2|[[Commune Council (Cambodia)|Councillors]]
!rowspan=2|Position
|-
!#
!%
!±
!#
!±
!#
!±
|-
![[2002 Cambodian communal elections|2002]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://comfrel.org/english/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/33_Result_Report_2002_Commune_Council_Election_in_Cambodia_COMFREL_2002_En_Final.pdf |title=Report on the Commune Council Elections – 3 February 2002 |date=March 2002 |publisher=Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL) |website=comfrel.org |access-date=4 September 2018}}</ref>
|rowspan="5"|[[Hun Sen]] 
|2,647,849 
|60.9 
|''New'' 
|{{Composition bar|1598|1621|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
|''New''
|{{Composition bar|7552|11261|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
|''New'' 
|{{increase}} 1st 
|-
![[2007 Cambodian communal elections|2007]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://comfrel.org/english/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/31_COMFREL_CCE_Final_Report_New.pdf|title=Final Assessment and Report on 2007 Commune Council Elections|date=1 April 2007|publisher=Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL)|website=comfrel.org|access-date=4 September 2018}}</ref>
|3,148,533 
|60.8 
|{{decrease}} 0.1
|{{Composition bar|1591|1621|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
|{{decrease}} 7
|{{Composition bar|7993|11353|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
|{{increase}} 441
|{{steady}} 1st 
|-
![[2012 Cambodian communal elections|2012]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://comfrel.org/english/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/28_Final_Report_Commune_Elections_2012_Final_Final_06_11_2012.pdf|title=Final Assessment and Report on 2012 Commune Council Elections|date=October 2012|publisher=Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL)|website=comfrel.org|access-date=4 September 2018}}</ref>
|3,631,082 
|61.8
|{{increase}} 1.0
|{{Composition bar|1592|1633|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
|{{increase}} 1
|{{Composition bar|8292|11459|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
|{{increase}} 299
|{{steady}} 1st 
|-
![[2017 Cambodian communal elections|2017]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://comfrel.org/english/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/275_Final-Assessment-and-Report-on-the-2017-Commune-Council-Elections-in-English-Version.pdf|title=Final Assessment and Report on 2017 Commune Council Elections|date=October 2017|publisher=Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL)|website=comfrel.org|access-date=4 September 2018}}</ref>
|3,540,056 
|50.8 
|{{decrease}} 11.0
|{{Composition bar|1156|1646|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
|{{decrease}} 436
|{{Composition bar|6503|11572|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
|{{decrease}} 1,789
|{{steady}} 1st 
|-
![[2022 Cambodian communal elections|2022]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2022/06/provisional-results-give-cambodian-ruling-party-victory-in-local-elections/|title=Provisional Results Give Cambodian Ruling Party Victory in Local Elections|work=The Diplomat|date=7 June 2022|accessdate=10 June 2022}}</ref>
|5,378,773
|74.3
|{{increase}} 23.5
|{{Composition bar|1648|1652|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
|{{increase}} 492 
|{{Composition bar|9376|11622|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
|{{increase}} 2,873
|{{Steady}} 1st
|}

=== Senate elections ===
{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
!rowspan="2"|Year
!rowspan="2"|Candidate
!colspan="3"|Votes
!colspan="2"|Seats
!rowspan="2"|Position
|-
!#
!%
!±
!#
!±
|-
![[2006 Cambodian Senate election|2006]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Chea Sim]]
|7,854
|69.2
|—
|{{Composition bar|45|61|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
|{{increase}} 14
|{{steady}} 1st
|-
![[2012 Cambodian Senate election|2012]]
|8,880
|77.8
|{{increase}} 8.6
|{{Composition bar|46|61|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
|{{increase}} 1
|{{steady}} 1st
|-
![[2018 Cambodian Senate election|2018]]
|[[Say Chhum]]
|11,202
|95.9
|{{increase}} 18.1
|{{Composition bar|58|62|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
|{{increase}} 12
|{{steady}} 1st
|-
![[2024 Cambodian Senate election|2024]]
|[[Hun Sen]]
|10,052
|85.9 
|{{decrease}} 10.0
|{{Composition bar|55|62|hex={{party color|Cambodian People's Party}}}}
|{{decrease}} 3
|{{steady}} 1st
|-
|}

== See also ==
* [[Khmer nationalism|Cambodian nationalism]] 
* [[Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation]]
* [[Modern Cambodia]]
* [[People's Republic of Kampuchea]]
* [[Politics of Cambodia]]

== References ==
===Notes===
{{notelist}}

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
*Guo, Sujian (2006). ''The Political Economy of Asian Transition from Communism''. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. {{ISBN|0754647358}}.

==External links==
*[http://www.cpp.org.kh/ CPP website]
*[http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/search/Results.aspx?page=1&casualties_type=&casualties_max=&perpetrator=729&charttype=line&chart=overtime&ob=GTDID&od=desc&expanded=yes#results-table List of incidents attributed to the Cambodian Peoples Party on the START database]
{{Cambodian political parties}}
{{Eastern Bloc parties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1951 establishments in Cambodia]]
[[Category:Communist parties in Cambodia]]
[[Category:Conservative parties in Cambodia]]
[[Category:Formerly ruling communist parties]]
[[Category:Hun Sen]]
[[Category:Nationalist parties in Cambodia]]
[[Category:Organizations of the Third Indochina War]]
[[Category:Parties of one-party systems]]
[[Category:People's Republic of Kampuchea]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1951]]
[[Category:Political parties in Cambodia]]
[[Category:Authoritarianism]]
[[Category:Monarchist parties in Cambodia]]
[[Category:Conservatism and left-wing politics]]