State in Cambodia

Cambodia's constitutional order divides public authority among the legislature, executive and judiciary. Khmer is the official language. The current political framework is the seventh legislature established after the 2023 general election, led by Prime Minister Hun Manet and associated with Pentagonal Strategy I. The King represents the state as head of state and reigns without governing. The Royal Government, also called the Council of Ministers, directs executive administration under the Prime Minister and includes Deputy Prime Ministers, Senior Ministers, Ministers and Secretaries of State. The National Assembly has at least 120 members chosen through direct general elections for five-year terms. The Senate is also part of the legislature; it may have no more than half as many members as the National Assembly and combines appointment with restricted electoral arrangements. The Senate's fifth legislature covers 2024 to 2030. The National Assembly adopts the national budget, the Senate reviews it and the King promulgates it. The judiciary is constitutionally separate from the other branches. The Constitutional Council has nine members serving nine-year terms and gives final decisions on constitutional and legal interpretation, constitutional review and election disputes. The Supreme Council of Magistracy supervises judges and the justice system. The territory consists of Phnom Penh as the capital and 24 provinces. Local administration continues through municipalities or provinces, districts or khans, communes or sangkats and villages. National Institute of Statistics reference figures list 193 districts or khans, 1,621 communes or sangkats and 14,073 villages, but administrative changes mean that current local figures should be checked with the responsible authority. Cambodia does not use an autonomous federal model comparable to a federal state. Decentralisation and deconcentration operate through centrally guided provincial, capital, municipal, district, khan, commune and sangkat administrations, with the Ministry of Interior coordinating local administration at all levels. The Ministry of Interior also covers the National Police, registration of political parties, non-governmental organisations and associations, complaints, prisons, personal identity, border policing, fire and rescue services and traffic safety. Access to a public service normally begins with the responsible capital or provincial authority, municipality, district or khan office, or commune or sangkat authority. One-Window Service Offices combine at least 14 administrative services in a single access point. Digital complaint and citizen-feedback systems provide additional channels, but practical access varies by region and service. Fees and processing times depend on the specific service, administrative level and procedure rather than on one nationwide tariff. The Ministry of Economy and Finance leads budget and financial policy. Cambodia uses an annual Finance Law and budget system covering state revenue, expenditure, borrowing limits, public debt and the budgets of ministries and other institutions. Sub-national administrations have their own administrative budgets alongside the national state budget. The FY2025 and FY2026 Budget in Brief documents provide official reference points, while the applicable financial year and procedure determine the relevant amounts and timing. The National Audit Authority, established in 2001 and operating since 2002, is Cambodia's supreme audit institution. It externally audits public finances and reports to the Government, National Assembly, Senate and civil society. Anti-corruption oversight is divided between the National Council Against Corruption, which sets policy and exercises oversight, and the Anti-Corruption Unit, which handles operations. The Anti-Corruption Unit works nationwide on education, prevention, obstruction, law enforcement, corruption complaints and asset and liability declarations. National Assembly committees can question Ministers and conduct hearings, and the Constitution provides for a motion of censure. Citizens can submit complaints to the responsible authority or use Ministry of Interior and Anti-Corruption Unit channels. Constitutional complaints follow specific constitutional procedures rather than an unrestricted direct process. The Ministry of Information manages official government information, broadcasting and audiovisual matters. Public information channels include TVK, RNK and AKP, together with information departments in Phnom Penh and the 24 provinces. Journalists may need press-card or event-registration procedures depending on the activity. The Constitution protects expression, the press and assembly subject to legal limits. State and digital information channels also support responses to false information and media-literacy work. These public-sphere rules belong to the state framework; detailed election questions, civil-law disputes and historical developments require separate treatment. National defence is assigned to the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and the Ministry of National Defence. The Ministry of Interior and the National Police handle internal security, public order, social security, border policing, weapons and explosives, prisons and rescue services. Cambodia's Constitution provides for permanent neutrality and non-alignment and assigns the state responsibility for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, law, public order and security. Citizens must respect the Constitution, fulfil homeland-defence duties under the law and respect public and lawfully held private property. Military service rules and operational security procedures require current specialised information and should not be inferred from the general state structure.