Bektimirova Nadezhda

The fate of the democratic project in Cambodia: Stages, results and future prospects

ЮГО-ВОСТОЧНАЯ АЗИЯ: АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ РАЗВИТИЯ, 2018, №1(38), 119-133

 
Annotation: This article considers the trajectory of the democratization process in Cambodia which began 25 years ago. The author outlines three stages of the process and characterizes each of them. The article shows that by 2013 the political regime in Cambodia could be firmly assessed as ‘hybrid’ – that is one where democratic institutions and practices were interwoven with elements of authoritarianism. The strengthening of authoritarian tendencies which started after the 2013 parliamentary elections reached its peak by late 2017 − early 2018 which saw a major curtailing of existing democratic procedures. The actions of the ruling elite are currently driven entirely by its desire to win parliamentary elections in the summer of 2018.

Keywords: Cambodian People’s Party, opposition party, local and parliamentary elections, party dissolution, hybrid regime, authoritarian regime, color revolution