Senate

Cambodia shares the borders with Vietnam to the east, Laos to the north, Thailand to the west, and the ocean coast to the Southwest.

NATIONAL FLAG

Cambodia Flag [ Click to enlarge flag ]: The flag was designed arround 1850 that has three horizontal bands of blue (top and bottom) and red (central) with a depiction of Angkor Watt in the center. The flag was abandoned in a few years during the Khmer Rouge and the occupation of Vietnamese in Cambodia. The flag was readopted in 1993 after the first general election with the returned the monarchy.

COAT OF ARMS or ROYAL ARMS of CAMBODIA

COAT OF ARMS is symbol on the Royal Standard of the reigning monarch of Cambodia.. They were established since the independent Kingdom of Cambodia in 1953.

This Royal Standard was restored in 1993. Armiger - Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia(wikepedia)

CONVENTIONAL NAME

Preah-reach-ana-chak Kampuchea – is the official name used by the Royal Government of Cambodia. It means, the Kingdom of Kampuchea.
- Preah – means Sacred
- Reach – derived from Sanskrit. It means King or Royal
- Ana – derived from Pali It means Authority or Power.
- Chak – derived from Sanskrit. It means Wheel
Srok Khmer (local short form) – common and general used by Khmer People. Srok means Territory.
Pra-Tehs Khmer (local short form) - the formal name and general writing. Pra-Tehs means “Country”.
Pra-Tehs Kampuchea (local short form)– Kampuchea was derived from Sanskrit word as Kambuja.

Camboja – is called in Portuguese
Kampoja – is called in Indonesian
Cambodia – is called in English
Cambodge – is called in French
Kambodsha – is called in German
Camboya – is called in Spanish
Cambogia – is called in Italian

BRIEF OVERVIEW:

Main Language: Khmer
Main Religion: Buddhism (Theravada) - 95% of population
Population: 15.6 million (World Bank, 2015)
Poplulation in Phnom Penh: 1,501,725 (Wikipedia - 2012)
Life expectancy: 62.98 years ‎(2011)
Ethnic group: Khmer, Vietnamese, Chinese, Tai, Cham, Khmer Loeu
Monetary currency: Riel
Currency Code: KHR
Climate: tropical humid climate: rainy (monsoon) season (May to November) and dry season (December to April)
Capital: Phnom Penh
Major Cities: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanouk Ville, Koh Kong
Area: 181,035 sq km (69,898 sq miles) : Water 2.5%
Border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km
Coastline: 443 km
Independence: 9 November 1953
Constitution:Promulgated 21 September 1993
Students: 3.408 million people (2008)
Teachers: 78,994 people (2007)
Internet domain: .kh
Internet Usage: 2.948 million people (2015)
Mobile Subscriptions: 19.92 million (2016)
International dialling code: +855
Electricity: 220V AC 50 Hz
Cars in use: 2.1 million cars (2001)
Total road length: 23,770 miles (2004)
Driving: Right hand side; International Driving Permit required
Airport: Phnom Penh International (PNH), Siem Reap International Airport, & Sihanoukville International Airport - Website
Direct Flight: from Bangkok (Thailand), Taipei (Taiwan), Hong Kong (China), Singapore (Singapore), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Vientiane (Lao), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Guangzhou (China), Soul (South Korea)

ECONOMY:

Four Major Drivers of Economy: Garment (direct investement, the total US$5.5 billion garment exports in 2014), Construction Real Estate (MLMUPC) approved over $6.5 billion in 2016), Tourism (4.5 million tourists in 2014), & Agriculture (World Bank, 2015)
GDP: USD $18.05 billion (World Bank, 2015)
GDP Per Capita: USD $1,158.7 (World Bank, 2015)
GDP Growth: 7% in 2015 (World Bank, 2015)
GDP Per Capita Growth: 5.3% in 2015 (World Bank, 2015)
Exchanged Rate: Riel is pegged to the U.S. dollar - US$1 = Riel 4,075)
Poverty Reduction: 17.7% in 2012 (World Bank, 2015
External Debt: USD $5.6 Billion (World Bank, 2014)
Inflation (Consumer Price): 4.6% at the end of 2013 to 1.2% at the end of 2014 (World Bank, 2014)
Major Exports: Garments, Fisheries Products, Rubber
Major Export Trading Countries: : United States (34%), Hong Kong (16%), Singapore (7%), Germany (6%), United Kingdom (6%)
Major Imports: Gold (22%), Knit or crochet fabric, width <30 cm >5% elastomer (17%), Petroleum oils, refined (5%), Floating or submersible drilling platforms (4%), Other woven fabrics of synthetic staple fibers (3%)
Major Import Trading Countries: Singapore (26%), China (22%), Hong Kong (14%), Thailand (12%), Viet Nam (5%)

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

The signing of the Paris Peace Agreements in October 1991 launched Cambodia in a process of reconstruction after two decades of conflict and civil war. The process, which was backed by a United Nations presence until the first national elections in May 1993, facilitated the foundation of a constitutional monarchy with King Norodom Sihanouk as head of State, and led to the establishment of a power-sharing government.

Type: Constitutional monarchy, Parliamentary representative democracy
Head of States: His Majesty Samdech Preah Baromneath Norodom Sihamoni (elected October 29, 2004)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Hun Sen (appointed on January 14 1985, elected in 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013) is in charge of overall execution of national policies and programs, and is accountable to the National Assembly.
- Born April 4, 1951 (family photo)
- Wife: Bun Rany Hun Sen
- Leading 10 deputy prime ministers, 17 senior ministers, 172 secretaries of state, and 28 ministers.
- Directory of the Government
Legislature: The Constituent Assembly, now called the National Assembly, promulgated Cambodia’s sixth Constitution on 24 September 1993. The 1993 Constitution was amended in March 1999 to establish the Senate, a new legislative body. The Constitution declares liberal democracy and a multiparty system as the foundations of the political regime of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Under the Constitution, the Cambodian people are masters of their own country, possess all powers, and exercise their powers through the National Assembly, Senate, Royal Government, and Judiciary. It also stipulates that the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of government shall be separate. Furthermore, all Khmer citizens possess the right to establish associations and political parties.
- Senate(Upper House): Chaired by Samdech Chea Sim and consisting of 62 Senators (referring to Figure 1)
- National Assembly (Lower House): Chaired by Samdech Heng Samrin and consisting of 123 elected members (referring to Figure 2).
Judiciary Branch: Supreme Council of the Magistracy (provided for in the constitution and formed in December 1997); Supreme Court (and lower courts) exercises judicial authority.
Local Government: The Constitution divides the territory of the Kingdom of Cambodia into provinces and municipalities. Currently, there are 24 provinces and four municipalities (Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Kep, and Pailin). Each province is divided into districts (srok), and each district into communes (khum). In addition, there are a group of villages (phum), although they are not considered formal administrative units. Each municipality is divided into sections (khan), each section into quarters (sangkat). The Ministry of Interior is in charge of administering provinces and municipalities.

Members of Cambodia Senate (2006-01-22 Senate Elections Results). (Figure 1)

King Norminees	Parliamentary Nominees	CPP	Funcinpec	SRP
2	2	43	9	2

The 5th Mandate of National Assembly

68 lawmakers of CPP attended the swearing-ceremoney opened on September 23, 2013 by King Norodom Sihamoni

Political Deadlock July 27, 2013 - July 22, 2014

The results of July 27, 2013's parliamentary election favoring the Cambodia People's Party (CPP) to win 68 seats of 123 triggered political deadlock. With international observers's claim, Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) argues that there are too many irregularities" during the election and refuses to take their seats - 55 of the total 123.

CNRP has done several mass protests joined by its nationwide supporters including 600 thousands of workers

Political deadlock ends as both CNRP and CPP aggreed to reform National Election Committee.

Political Parties	Votes	Percentage	Seats
Cambodian People's Party	3,235,969	48.83%	68
Cambodian National Rescue Party	2,946,176	44.46%	55