Royal silence in Cambodia's judiciary

[geovalin]

Shaun Turton and Niem Chheng

Cambodia's highest judicial body convened for its 27th plenary session yesterday, and while King Norodom Sihamoni, the council’s president and the nation’s constitutional guarantor of judicial independence, was in attendance, his influence on proceedings was seemingly negligible – much to the chagrin of some observers.

While the constitution enshrines the King’s position as head of the Supreme Council of the Magistracy (SCM), critics accuse the ruling Cambodian People’s Party of having undermined the monarch’s power to effect any change within the Kingdom’s much-maligned legal system.

Though some have held out hope Sihamoni would wield his constitutional power to push reform, observers say legislation adopted in 2014 to regulate the judiciary has codified the CPP-dominated executive’s hold over the SCM, legally sidelining the King to a mere formality.

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