# Canonical recap data for Cambodia Elections and Hun Sen Consolidation (2018)
# Source: https://recap.at/2018/cambodia-elections-2018
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: cambodia-elections-2018
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/2018/cambodia-elections-2018"
title: Cambodia Elections and Hun Sen Consolidation
aliases:
- 2018 Cambodian general election
- Hun Sen consolidation
- July 2018 Cambodia elections
subtitle: Hun Sen's ruling party won a controversial landslide following the jailing of opposition leader Kem Sokha, cementing authoritarian control.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 2018-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 2018
decade: 2010
country:
name: Cambodia
slug: cambodia
summaryShort: |-
  Cambodia is a one-party dominant state with the Cambodian People's Party in power. Cambodia's legislature is chosen through a national election. The general election is held every five years in the fourth Sunday of July. The Parliament of Cambodia has two chambers. 
  The National Assembly has 125 members, each elected f
summaryLong: |-
  Cambodia is a one-party dominant state with the Cambodian People's Party in power. Cambodia's legislature is chosen through a national election. The general election is held every five years in the fourth Sunday of July. The Parliament of Cambodia has two chambers. 
  The National Assembly has 125 members, each elected for a five-year term by proportional representation. The Senate has 62 members, mostly indirectly elected.
lede: Cambodia held general elections on July 29, 2018, in which Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) won 125 of 125 National Assembly seats, consolidating single-party rule after the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party was dissolved months earlier. The result effectively ended competitive democracy in the country, as international observers noted severe restrictions on opposition campaigning and media freedom.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Royal_arms_of_Cambodia.svg/1280px-Royal_arms_of_Cambodia.svg.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Elections in Cambodia"
importance: 64
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Election date
  value: July 29, 2018
- label: National Assembly seats won by CPP
  value: 125 of 125
- label: National Assembly total seats
  value: "125"
- label: Opposition party dissolved
  value: Cambodia National Rescue Party (November 2017)
- label: Hun Sen tenure as Prime Minister start
  value: "1985"
- label: Voter turnout
  value: 82.4%
- label: CPP previous seat count (2013)
  value: 68 of 123
timeline:
- date: 2017-11-16
  title: Cambodia National Rescue Party dissolved
  description: Cambodia's Constitutional Council dissolved the opposition CNRP, the second-largest party in parliament, citing links to alleged treason. Party leader Kem Sokha was arrested in September 2017 on espionage charges he denied.
- date: 2018-06-01
  title: CPP campaign restrictions on opposition media
  description: International observers documented severe constraints on opposition campaigning and independent media coverage ahead of the July election, with state media heavily favoring the ruling party.
- date: 2018-07-29
  title: Cambodia general election held
  description: Cambodians voted in the July 29 general election with the CPP facing no significant opposition. Early results indicated a CPP sweep of all 125 National Assembly seats.
- date: 2018-08-02
  title: CPP declares victory with 100% seat control
  description: Official results confirmed the CPP won all 125 National Assembly seats, the first time since 1993 that a single party achieved complete control of the legislature.
- date: 2018-08-14
  title: Hun Sen sworn in for sixth term
  description: Hun Sen was sworn in as Prime Minister for his sixth consecutive term, extending his 33-year grip on power. No opposition legislators were present in parliament for the first time in a quarter-century.
- date: 2018-09-01
  title: U.S. announces targeted sanctions
  description: The United States announced sanctions against senior Cambodian officials over election irregularities and human rights violations, citing the suppression of opposition and independent media.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Cambodia"
  title: Cambodian elections
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The 2018 election marked Cambodia's transition from a flawed multiparty system to de facto one-party authoritarian rule. Hun Sen's CPP faced no meaningful opposition after the CNRP's dissolution, rendering the vote a ratification exercise rather than a genuine contest. The result triggered international criticism and sanctions while signaling the durability of Cambodia's post-conflict strongman model.
categories:
- election
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- election
- regime_change
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- conflict
- transformation
impactRadius: national
velocity: gradual
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: transition
metaDescription: Cambodia's July 2018 election gives CPP complete control. Opposition dissolved. Hun Sen consolidates power.
wikidataQid: Q2747720
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20180703220039/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Cambodia"
  capturedAt: 2018-07-03
  label: Cambodian elections
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Cambodia"
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Royal_arms_of_Cambodia.svg/1280px-Royal_arms_of_Cambodia.svg.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Royal_arms_of_Cambodia.svg/800px-Royal_arms_of_Cambodia.svg.png"
  caption: Elections in Cambodia
  credit: Wikipedia · "Elections in Cambodia"
  width: 330
  height: 382
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Congressional_Research_Service_Report_R44037_-_Cambodia_-_Background_and_U.S._Relations.pdf/page1-960px-Congressional_Research_Service_Report_R44037_-_Cambodia_-_Background_and_U.S._Relations.pdf.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Congressional_Research_Service_Report_R44037_-_Cambodia_-_Background_and_U.S._Relations.pdf/page1-960px-Congressional_Research_Service_Report_R44037_-_Cambodia_-_Background_and_U.S._Relations.pdf.jpg"
  caption: Congressional Research Service Report R44037 - Cambodia - Background and U.S. Relations
  credit: Thomas Lum
  width: 1275
  height: 1650
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: National Assembly seats held by CPP
  thenValue: 125 of 125
  thenYear: 2018
  nowValue: 81 of 125
  nowYear: 2023
  note: CPP lost supermajority in 2023 election after Kem Sokha's FUNCINPEC surged
- metric: Press Freedom Index rank
  thenValue: 139 of 180
  thenYear: 2018
  nowValue: 146 of 180
  nowYear: 2024
  note: RSF index shows deterioration in press conditions post-2018
- metric: Registered political parties
  thenValue: "4"
  thenYear: 2018
  nowValue: "8"
  nowYear: 2023
  note: Cambodia Nguon Party, Candlelight Party, and others registered between 2018-2023
consequences:
- title: Landslide CPP victory with 77% vote share
  year: 2018
  description: CPP won all 125 National Assembly seats on July 29, 2018, in election widely criticized by international observers for lack of genuine competition
- title: Widespread independent monitoring restrictions
  year: 2018
  description: Election Commission restricted international observer access and independent Cambodian election monitors faced harassment, limiting transparency
- title: Hun Sen's sixth consecutive term as PM
  year: 2018
  description: Hun Sen secured his position as Prime Minister through September 2023, extending dominance that began in 1985
- title: Media censorship escalation
  year: 2019
  description: Crackdowns on independent outlets including Voice of Democracy and Facebook pages critical of government intensified in 2019
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: Kromosar
  artist: Chhom Nimol
  note: Contemporary Khmer pop artist active during this period
topFilms:
- title: A First Taste
  year: 2018
  note: Cambodian feature film in circulation at time of election
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: Cambodian popular culture during 2018 remained heavily state-influenced; independent media faced increasing restrictions concurrent with election consolidation
relatedQueries:
- Cambodia 2018 election results CPP sweeping victory
- Cambodia National Rescue Party dissolution 2017
- Hun Sen prime minister 2018 consolidation
- Cambodia election monitoring international observers 2018
- Cambodia press freedom restrictions post-2018
- Kem Sokha CNRP Cambodia politics
- Cambodia one-party dominant system
