PHNOM PENH: The National Assembly (NA) of Cambodia held its opening session on 30 March 2023 after a three month a recess. The 9th National Assembly Session of the 6th Legislature had three main points on the agenda: a message from King Norodom Sihamoni; a report on activities of NA members between sessions; and a discussion of the draft law to ratify a border treaty between Cambodia and Laos.
The opening message from the King was read by NA President Heng Samrin and stated that he is pleased to see that since the 1993 general election nearly 30 years ago, the Cambodian people have maintained, strengthened, and respected the monarchy, democracy, liberalism, and multi-party development. He commended the leaders of the National Assembly, the Royal Government and the Cambodian people for such great achievements.
Prime Minister Hun Sen did not attend today's plenary session due to a prior commitment to preside over a graduation at the National Institute of Business. He apologized to the National Assembly for not attending its opening session, citing a late notification on their part. He then urged the NA to be aware of the Royal Government’s tight schedule and asked the parliament to notify his office as soon as possible to avoid such scheduling conflicts in the future.
"I beg the parliament to update their calendar further in advance," he said, "Because the government has a lot of work to do."
The National Assembly went on to ratify the border demarcation treaty between Cambodia and Laos with the 105 members present voting unanimously in its favor. The meeting then concluded promptly at 10:36 a.m.
Article 83 of the Cambodian Constitution stipulates that the National Assembly shall convene twice a year, with each session lasting at least three months. The NA then takes a recess every three months so that members can investigate the needs of their communities and bring them to the floor to discuss solutions and interventions. As there are no new discussions on the agenda, the National Assembly has postponed its next session to a later date.
