PHNOM PENH: The National Assembly of Cambodia will resume its 7th plenary session of the 6th legislature on Thursday, 28 July, at the National Assembly building to discuss a number of important laws, including the 10th amendment to the Constitution.

The decision to resume the plenary session was made after the President of the National Assembly, Heng Samrin, opened the meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Monday morning, 25 July.

The Draft Constitutional Law on the Amendment of Article 19 (one), Article 89, Article 98, Article 102, Article 119 and Article 125 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and Article 3 and Article 4 of the Additional Constitution, was approved by the Council of Ministers on 8 July 2022.

The new draft constitution allows the party with the most seats in the National Assembly to ask the King to appoint an elite as Prime Minister to form the Royal Government through parliament, and also outlines additional procedures and the state process to form a new government in the absence of the Prime Minister or the in the situation that the Prime Minister resigns.

According to the Minister of Justice, Koeut Rith, the amendments made to the Constitution were necessary to ensure the smooth functioning of state institutions, and to maintain stability, peace, fill the gaps of the Constitution and still adhere to the fundamental principles of multi-party liberal democracy, as well as the principles of the constitutional monarchy.

The second paragraph of Article 151 of the Cambodian Constitution states that "Amendments to the Constitution shall be made by a constitutional law passed by the National Assembly by a two-thirds majority."

The 6th legislature of the National Assembly is currently controlled by Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) MPs, who took all 125 seats of the National Assembly.