Cambodia National Rescue Party

The CNRP (Cambodia National Rescue Party) is a Cambodian electoral alliance between the two main democratic opposition parties, the Sam Rainsy Party and the Human Rights Party. It was founded in mid-2012 for the purpose of running together in the 2013 Cambodian general election. The Cambodia Democratic Movement of National Rescue, the transitional body ahead of the union, has established working groups to unite the two and is in the process of creating a joint national platform and common party policies. It is currently the second largest political party in Cambodia, after its rival the Cambodian People’s Party. The CNRP won 44.46% of the total votes in the 2013 elections, accounting to 55 seats out of the 123 seats in Parliament.

The party principles and values are the rule of law and democracy, with social merit and harmonization, as well as mutual respect of interest in international affairs and neutrality of Cambodia. The party believes in the principles: strengthening of freedom and human rights, institution of free and fair elections, and defending Cambodia’s “national integrity”. Its official motto is “rescue, serve, protect.”

After the 2013 elections, it becamethe second largest party in Cambodia, accounting to 55 seats out of the 123 seats in parliament.

In the June 2017 commune elections, CNRP received 43.83 percent of the votes cast versus 50.76 percent of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.

As CNRP’s electoral momentum threatened the ruling party ahead of the 2018 parliamentary elections, court cases, widely perceived as politically motivated, were filed against its leaders, resulting in the continuing exile of Sam Rainsy and the imprisonment of Kem Sokha.

In November 2017, the CNRP was dissolved by Cambodia’s high court with its 118 leaders banned from politics for 5 years. Despite
this major setback, these former CNRP leaders are still exerting all their efforts, particularly byappealing to the international community, to bring Cambodia back to the democratic path.