Elections in Cambodia

Cambodia has a bicameral Parliament. The National Assembly has at least 120 seats and currently has 125 members. Voters elect its members directly through 25 multi-member provincial and capital constituencies using closed-list proportional representation. Parties receive seats according to their valid vote totals under a highest-average formula. National Assembly members serve five-year terms. Candidates must be at least 25 and Cambodian citizens by birth. An amendment to the electoral law in 2023 linked candidate eligibility to voting in the preceding two consecutive general elections, except where a justified reason applies. The Senate has 62 seats and serves six-year terms. Commune and Sangkat councillors elect 58 senators, while the National Assembly elects two and the King appoints two. Senate candidates have an age benchmark of 40. Cambodia has no direct presidential election. The government forms after the National Assembly's inaugural sitting, confidence procedure and constitutional approval of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Local elections include direct elections for Commune and Sangkat Councils through party-list proportional representation. Cambodia has 1,652 communes and Sangkats and 11,622 councillors are planned for the 2027 local election. Capital, Provincial, Municipal, District and Khan Councils use indirect elections by councilor electorates rather than a direct universal ballot. These local bodies therefore differ from Commune and Sangkat Councils in both electorate and procedure. A voter generally needs Cambodian citizenship, to be at least 18, a name on the official voter list and a Khmer Identity Card. The NEC revises and registers the voter list annually. For the 2027 Commune and Sangkat election, the announced voter-list period runs from 7 October to 30 November 2026, and polling is scheduled for 6 June 2027. Registration or corrections can be handled at a commune or Sangkat office or through a designated village Voter Registration Team. Voters can check their entry at voterlist.nec.gov.kh. The process is especially relevant after turning 18, moving to another commune or Sangkat, finding incorrect personal or polling-station data, or needing a biometric record update for older records from 2016 or 2017. The Khmer Identity Card is the central proof of identity. The NEC has excluded an identity certificate and a certificate confirming personal identity data issued by the Ministry of Interior's General Department of Identification from the 2026 process; their possible future use remains under study. No voter-registration or election fee is evidenced, although replacement documents or other administrative services may have separate costs. The NEC publishes voter information, election calendars, candidate lists, ballot order and campaign rules. Political parties and candidates register through the NEC under the applicable election law. Party agents, national and international observers and journalists register separately for their roles. In a 2023 baseline, 18 parties were registered for the National Assembly election and the Candlelight Party was not registered. The EU and COMFREL have reported restrictions affecting political and civic space; these reports concern the practical environment and access risks rather than a different formal electoral system. At a polling station, assignment follows the official voter list. The voter presents the Khmer Identity Card, appears on the list, passes the check confirming that no earlier vote was recorded and undergoes a finger check. Polling normally opens at 7:00. The voter marks the ballot alone in a booth and places it in the ballot box, preserving ballot secrecy. Party agents and observers may monitor the process. NEC procedures include registration for stakeholders and observers, while assistance arrangements for persons with disabilities were under consultation in 2026 and should be checked against the final rule. Polling Station Commissions conduct the public count and complete forms and minutes. Ballot results are then aggregated by the NEC. Provisional results can face complaints and objections, which the NEC decides through public hearings. Appeals can go to the Constitutional Council under the Law on the Election of Members of the National Assembly, and the NEC can order a re-election. Results become official after complaints and any required re-elections have been resolved. National Assembly ballots are retained for six years and Commune or Sangkat ballots for three years, followed by an open destruction process involving the relevant parties. In the 2023 National Assembly election, the Cambodian People's Party won 120 seats and FUNCINPEC won five.