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CAMBODIAN CONSTITUTIONAL LAW Published by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Edited by HOR Peng KONG Phallack Jörg MENZEL THE KONRAD-ADENAUER-STIFTUNG Freedom, justice and solidarity are the basic principles underly- ing the work of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS). KAS is a political foundation, closely associated with the Christian Demo- cratic Union of Germany (CDU). As co-founder of the CDU and the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967) united Christian-social, conservative and liberal traditions. His name is synonymous with the democratic reconstruction of Germany, the firm alignment of foreign policy with the trans-atlantic community of values, the vision of a uni- fied Europe and an orientation towards the social market economy. In our European and international cooperation with more than 70 offices abroad and projects in over 120 countries, we make a unique contribution to the promotion of democracy, the rule of law and a social market economy. The office in Cambodia has been established in 1994. KAS in Cambodia is mainly operating in the following fields: Administrative Reform and Decentralization, Strengthening Political Parties and Parliaments, Legal Reform, Media Development, Political Education and Social Market Economy, as well as Foreign Policy Consultancy. CONTENTS FOREWORD............................................................................................................................................................................................v EPILOGUE ..............................................................................................................................................................................................vi PREFACE ...............................................................................................................................................................................................vii INTRODUCTION TO CAMBODIAN CONSTITUTIONAL LAW FROM A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE ...................................................................................................................................1 1 CAMBODIA FROM CIVIL WAR TO A CONSTITUTION TO CONSTITUTIONALISM? Jörg MENZEL .......................................................................................................................................................................................5 2 THE CONSTITUTION OF THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA: THE EVOLUTION OF CONSTITUTIONAL THEORIES AND INTERPRETATION HOR Peng ...........................................................................................................................................................................................41 3 THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF CAMBODIA’S CONSTITUTIONS YAN Vandeluxe ..............................................................................................................................................................................53 4 THE 1993 CAMBODIAN CONSTITUTION AND INTERNATIONAL LAW: A NORMATIVE PERSPECTIVE MEAS Bora .........................................................................................................................................................................................69 5 TEACHING CONSTITUTIONAL LAW SOTH Sang Bonn .........................................................................................................................................................................87 6 THE KING OF THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA: A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL ROLES OF THE KING HOR Peng .......................................................................................................................................................................................105 7 THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA Norbert FEIGE .............................................................................................................................................................................111 8 THE SENATE OF THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA YAN Vandeluxe ..........................................................................................................................................................................137 9 THE CONSTITUTIONAL ROLES AND POWERS OF THE ROYAL GOVERNMENT Hisham MOUSAR ...................................................................................................................................................................157 10 CONSTITUTIONAL COUNCIL: ELECTION, STRUCTURE, PROCEDURE, AND COMPETENCIES TAING Ratana ...........................................................................................................................................................................189 11 THE CONSTITUTIONAL ROLE OF THE JUDICIARY IN CAMBODIA: INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON AND IMPLICATION FOR REFORM Kai HAUERSTEIN ....................................................................................................................................................................219 12 ADMINISTRATION: THE CONSTITUTION AS A GUIDING FRAMEWORK FOR ADMINISTRATIVE LAW THENG Chan-Sangvar .......................................................................................................................................................247 13 STATE FINANCE MANAGEMENT OF CAMBODIA Atichbora LONG ........................................................................................................................................................................269 14 PRINCIPLES OF ELECTION LAW: LIBERAL MULTI-PARTY DEMOCRACY Chandara KHUN .....................................................................................................................................................................285 | iii 15 FUNCTIONS, RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF POLITICAL PARTIES: A COMPARATIVE LEGAL ANALYSIS OF CAMBODIAN POLITICAL PARTY LAW Denis SCHREY & Nathalie LAUER ............................................................................................................................305 16 FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS PROTECTION: A COMPARATIVE AND INTERNATIONAL LAW PERSPECTIVE Daniel HEILMANN ..................................................................................................................................................................339 17 INSTITUTIONAL PROTECTION OF BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS IN CAMBODIA SOK Socheat ..................................................................................................................................................................................357 18 FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN CAMBODIA KONG Phallack ........................................................................................................................................................................389 19 FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION: A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE Raymond LEOS ........................................................................................................................................................................439 20 FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS IN CAMBODIAN CRIMINAL LAW Jeudy OEUNG & Sophary NOY ...................................................................................................................................461 21 ECONOMIC RIGHTS AND THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC SYSTEM KUONG Teilee ..............................................................................................................................................................................489 22 LABOR RIGHTS AND TRADE UNIONS CHEA Sophal ..............................................................................................................................................................................511 23 LABOR RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN LY Vichuta ......................................................................................................................................................................................537 24 SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS THEORY AND PRAXIS IN THE CAMBODIAN CONTEXT Sang-Bonn SOTH .....................................................................................................................................................................557 25 RIGHT TO EDUCATION HANG Chuon Naron ............................................................................................................................................................579 26 THE INFLUENCE OF FRENCH LEGAL CONCEPTS ON THE CAMBODIAN CONSTITUTION OF 1993 Jean-Luc GREGORCZYK....................................................................................................................................................595 27 COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE FROM JAPAN: EMPHASIZING CONSTITUTIONAL IMPACT ON “PRIVATE LAW” Hiroshi KIYOHARA ..............................................................................................................................................................609 28 ESTONIAN EXPERIENCE: TRANSITION TO DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUTIONALISM Tanel KERIKMÄE & Sandra SÄRAV .......................................................................................................................627 ANNEX 1—THE CONSTITUTION OF THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA .................................................651 iv | Cambodian Constitutional Law FOREWORD The current Cambodian Constitution is the supreme law of the Kingdom of Cambodia, enshrining values such as the rule of law, human rights, democracy and power separa- tion deep into the Kingdom’s legal and political system. Its relevance and importance for ordinary Cambodian citizens covers varying aspects, ranging from freedom of religion, expression and access to information to fundamental rights such as labor, economic, women’s and social rights as well as the right to education and institutional protection. Furthermore, the Constitution regulates Cambodia’s state organization by identifying roles and responsibilities of the country’s institutions, the electoral system and political parties. It is due to the Constitution’s significant importance that Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Cambodia, in cooperation with the editors of this book, decided to create a comprehensive source of information on Cambodian constitutional law. As there is, to-date, only a limited number of English publications on the Cambodian Constitution available, we believe that this book serves as a useful guide into the different areas covered by the Constitution. Its comprehensive coverage will be a unique contribution to the academic field of international analysis and research on Cambodia´s Constitution. One particular aim of the book has been to motivate Cambodian scholars to academi- cally engage with legal questions and contribute with their articles towards the analysis and evaluation of Cambodian Constitutional Law. We would like to express our gratitude to those who have made this publication possible. A special appreciation is directed towards Jörg Menzel, who initiated this book and assured its feasibility. Additionally, we would like to thank all authors for their contributions and Martina Mayr for her successful efforts to finalize this book. Phnom Penh, July 2016 Denis Schrey Rene Gradwohl Former Country Representative Country Representative Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Cambodia Cambodia (September 2011 until January 2016) (since February 2016) | v EPILOGUE We dedicate this book to our esteemed former colleague and friend Dr. Jörg Menzel, who has initiated the idea of this first comprehensive English academic work on “Cambodian Constitutional Law”. Dr. Menzel died too early at the age of 51 on April 09th 2016 in Istanbul. Dr. Menzel became an internationally recognized expert on constitutional, administrative and international legal aspects of transformation processes in developing and emerging countries. The impressive portfolio of his consulting and academic lectures involved not only Cambodia and the South East Asian region, but also extended to other world regions. His heart bet for South East Asia, especially for Cambodia. As an international key advisor to the Cambodian Senate between 2003-2010 he not only promoted the ongoing internal legal reform process of the Senate to support its development into a recognized and more assertive Second Legislative Chamber in Cambodia, but also build capacity for the in-house legal and research departments of the National Assembly, the Senate, the Cambodian Government as well as for Cambodian Law Students. The core legal literature on Cambodian Law available in English today has been the result of Dr. Menzel’s ceaseless efforts to promote a culture of legal academic work and legal discourse in Cambodia and the region. The Law Talks initiated by Dr. Menzel in cooperation with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in 2006 are until today the only regular dialogue between legal scholars and practitioners on diverse aspects of legal developments in Cambodia. Throughout his career Dr. Menzel convinced his audience with his comprehensive and profound legal knowledge and his unique ability to transfer and apply international and European legal concepts and approaches to constitutional, administrative and legal reform processes in Cambodia and other South East Asian Countries in a humble, collab- orative and culturally sensitive manner, always bearing in mind the insufficiencies and historical highs and lows of the own Western legal systems and the diverse legal history and culture of SE Asian countries. For the Cambodian counterparts Dr. Menzel has been a source of inspiration for their work as well as a motivator and mentor for the development of their own professional careers. The KAS Cambodia Office as well as all partners, colleagues and Cambodian friends will miss Dr. Menzel very much. We are grateful to his commitment to the development of the Rule of Law in Cambodia and to Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung over the last 15 years. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and with his family. Denis Schrey Rene Gradwohl Former Country Representative Country Representative Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Cambodia Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Cambodia vi | Cambodian Constitutional Law PREFACE This book is initiated to introduce the 1993 Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia. It is a collective effort by Cambodian and foreign authors to provide an overview of the Constitution as well as comparisons and analyses. From our knowledge this is currently the only Handbook on the Cambodian Constitution written in English. The aim of this publication is to provide a helpful guide, not only for foreign readers, but also for Cam- bodians, especially for those who choose to study law. As it would be too ambitious to provide a comprehensive overview on all issues covered by the Constitution in a single publication, we aimed at providing basic information. All chapters have been written recently but as legal developments in Cambodia are dynamic and fast-paced some information might be outdated soon after writing. Law is like a river, always flowing and changing and any attempt to describe it can only be temporary. Generally, as with any academic legal book, neither editors nor authors can guarantee the full accuracy of the provided information. We can only assure that we have tried to state the law as accurately as possible. As editors we have tried to ensure that important topics of the Constitution are covered, but the authors are solely responsible for the content of their chapters. The editors wish to express a special thank you to Ms. Martina Mayr for her valuable work and extensive contributions which made the completion of this publication possible. We also thank the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, its former Country Representative Mr. Denis Schrey, its current Country Representative, Mr. Rene Gradwohl and all their staff for the strong and patient support of this project. Furthermore, we thank the numerous authors, who despite other obligations spent their valuable time and energy to write their chapters. Finally, we hope that the readers of this book find the information provided helpful and that it will encourage further academic discussion of Cambodian law within and outside the country. As editors, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Jörg Menzel, who passed away in April 2016, before the publication of this Handbook. We wish him Rest in Peace. Phnom Penh, May 19, 2016 HOR Peng KONG Phallack | vii viii | Cambodian Constitutional Law INTRODUCTION TO CAMBODIAN CONSTITUTIONAL LAW FROM A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION Due to the untimely loss of Jörg Menzel, the initiator and one of the editors of this book, we were not able to retrieve his article “Introduction to Cambodian Constitutional Law from a Comparative Perspective”, which was intended to serve as introductory chapter of this book. His expertise in this subject matter is unmatched and it would be presumptu- ous to write his article instead. However, due to his previous publications, we were able to identify two articles, which address the subject matter separately. The first article, titled Cambodia – From Civil War, To Constitution, to Constitutionalism?1, provides an introduction to Cambodian Constitu- tional Law. The other article, titled Constitutionalism in South East Asia: Some Compara- tive Perspectives2, provides a comparative view on other South East Asian Constitutions. The editors decided to reprint Cambodia – From Civil War, To Constitution, to Con- stitutionalism? in this book as this publication provides a comprehensive introduction to Cambodian Constitutional Law. The other article can be accessed and downloaded on- line, please refer to the respective footnote above. The purpose of this preface is to provide a short introduction, how the reader can use these two articles as a guide for an introduction to Cambodian Constitutional Law from a comparative perspective. 1 Jörg Menzel, Constitutionalism in South East Asia, Volume 2 Reports on National Constitutions, Eds. Claus Peter Hill, Jörg Menzel, 2008, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Singapore. 2 Jörg Menzel, Constitutionalism in South East Asia, Volume 3, Cross Cutting Issues, Eds. Claus Peter Hill, Jörg Menzel, 2008, Konrad-Adenauer- Stiftung, Singapore. The article can be accessed and downloaded through the following link: www.kas.de/wf/doc/kas_20986-1522-1-30.pdf?110815045024 Introduction Chapter 1 | 1