During a ceremony to promote military leaders, Senate President and former Prime Minister Hun Sen called for sweeping reforms to Cambodia’s Senate, saying it should mirror the larger National Assembly, which has broader provincial representation. He accused senators of “doing nothing” and holding sinecure positions.

The Senate, composed of 62 seats, two of which are nominated by the king and National Assembly, holds elections every six years. Senators are voted in by multi-charied commune councils grouped to form eight regions.

The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), in power since the Khmer Rouge fell in 1979 and led by Hun Sen, swept 55 Senate seats in last year’s election. The opposition Khmer Will Party took the remaining – non-appointed – three.

While Senate elections in Cambodia receive less international scrutiny, the 2023 general election faced widespread criticism for being neither free nor fair. This was due to the National Election Committee banning the largest opposition party, the main challenger to the ruling party, despite it being allowed to participate in local elections the previous year.

Many political observers view Cambodia as a de-facto one party state.

After promoting a former defense minister and a minister of National Assembly and Senate Relations and Inspections to five-star general status on Friday, the Senate President said he is reviewing whether senators should be accountable to voters like National Assembly members, adding that a similar electoral process is under consideration.

He lamented about a lack of clarity in senators’ regional assignments, with some regions spanning multiple provinces.

“When I took leadership in the Senate, I realized that senators were unclearly assigned to any particular province,” Hun Sen said, referring to when he handed the premiership to his son in 2023 after nearly 40 years in power, before becoming Senate president. “Therefore, we need to reform.”

“Otherwise, senators will simply sit collecting their salaries without meeting or assisting commune and district council members […]” he added.

Members of the lower house are elected every five years through provincial proportional representation. Voters cast ballots in multi-member constituencies, and parties get seats based on the proportion of votes they receive.

The CPP currently holds 120 of the 125 seats in the National Assembly, leaving little room for pushback from opposition lawmakers.

“I don’t see how reforming the system to mimic National Assembly elections will make it as effective,” said Kong Monika, one of the few opposition senators still in parliament. 

He argued that the Senate’s powers are limited, primarily focused on legislative oversight. Reform, he added, should aim to strengthen its prerogatives.

“Strengthening its powers could improve the Senate’s efficiency and representation,” Monika said.

“If the Senate had greater authority to demand that the government or relevant institutions address issues it identifies as impacting the public interest, that would be the most beneficial change,” he added.

Political analyst Meas Nee welcomed the initiative to reform the electoral system of the upper house.

“We have seen that parliamentarians have not done enough to fulfill their duties, and the majority do not engage with citizens or understand their problems – rarely do we see them visiting or listening to the concerns of the people,” he said.