Phnom Penh: Prime Minister Hun Sen will attend a plenary session of the National Assembly on Monday 25 October at which a vote will be held on the proposed amendments to the Constitution and related laws, mandating only Khmer nationality for the posts of Senate President, National Assembly President, the Prime Minister and President of the Constitutional Council.

The amendments were initiated by the Prime Minister in the wake of false media reports claiming he held a Cypriot passport. The amendment process has already received approval from His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni and the draft text has been through a National Assembly standing committee, as well as the National Assembly’s Expert Committee.

A two-thirds majority is needed in the National Assembly for the amendments to be approved, but with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party holding 100% of seats, it is presumed that the amendments will secure the number of votes needed. Once the amendments have been approved by the National Assembly, they will then be submitted to a vote in the Senate. Once they are approved there, they will be returned to the National Assembly, which must then submit the amendments to the King to be signed into law.

Other matters before the National Assembly on Monday include a vote of confidence for Pa Socheatvong as senior minister in charge of special missions of the Royal Government of Cambodia, as well as a draft law of agreement between the Royal Government and the United Nations regarding the prosecution of crimes committed during the Khmer Rouge and the termination of the Extraordinary Chambers. A draft law on public-private partnerships will also be attended to.