Phnom Penh, October 08, 2021 —
The draft constitution on amendment to some new articles was endorsed by the cabinet ministers in their weekly plenary meeting held here at the Peace Palace this morning under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen.
According to H.E. Phay Siphan, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister and Chairman of the Royal Government Spokesperson Unit, the Cabinet Meeting approved and changed some wording of the draft constitution on the amendment to the New Articles 19, 82, 106 (1), 119, and 137 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia; and the Articles 3 and 4 of the Additional Constitutional Law to ensure the normal functioning of national institutions.
The approved draft constitution stipulates that the National Assembly President, Senate President, Prime Minister and Constitutional Council President must have a single Khmer nationality.
The National Assembly, the Senate, the Royal Government and the Constitutional Council are the nation’s supreme institutions responsible for making decisions on important matters that are the nation’s lifeblood to ensure national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cambodia; the nation’s and people’s supreme interests; and the absolute opposition to foreign interference in the internal affairs or to order on national and international policies of Cambodia.
On this basis, National Assembly President, Senate President, Prime Minister and Constitutional Council President are all obliged to take the oath of office in the presence of the King by making a firm commitment to be loyal to the nation and protect the supreme interests of the Cambodian nation and people. At the same time, the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia and related laws also require that all MPs, senators, Prime Minister and members of the Constitutional Council must be Cambodian nationals by birth.
Moreover, the president, vice presidents and members of the National Election Committee, which is also an institution enshrined in the Constitution, are also required by law to be of Khmer nationality by birth and to have only one Khmer nationality in order to ensure the fulfillment of their duties related to the election work so that it is conducted independently to ensure the protection of national interests from external interference in the internal affairs of the election process.
By Heng Panha
