Phnom Penh: The draft constitutional amendment paving the way for a mandate for only Khmer nationality for the country’s top office bearers has been declared viable by the Constitutional Council. On October 6, the Council of Ministers approved six draft constitutional amendments to the Constitution requiring the top leadership, such as the President of the Senate, the President of the National Assembly, the Prime Minister and the President of the Constitutional Council to have "one Khmer nationality" in order to ensure the normal functioning of the country, national institutions, as well as to show loyalty to the nation and avoid foreign interference.

In a press release this Monday, the president of the Constitutional Council, Im Chhun Lim, has announced that after convening a plenary session to discuss the amendments to the Constitution in accordance with the message of the King on 8 October, the draft constitutional law on the amendment of Article 19, Article 82 (new), Article 106 (new), Article 119 (new) and Article 137 (new) of the Constitution, and Articles 3 and 4 of the Additional Constitution ensuring the normal functioning of national institutions are viable, as long they are in line with the context of the actual situation and do not affect the system of the nation. The Constitutional Council has declared that a single citizenship for Cambodia’s top leaders will “not affect the Kingdom’s liberal multi-party democracy and monarchy”.