FUNCINPEC
The National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia, commonly referred to as FUNCINPEC, is a royalist political party in Cambodia. Founded in 1981 by Norodom Sihanouk, it began as a resistance movement against the People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) government. In 1982, it formed a resistance pact with the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK), together with the Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF) and the Khmer Rouge. It became a political party in 1992.
National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia រណសិរ្សបង្រួបបង្រួមជាតិដើម្បីកម្ពុជាឯករាជ្យ អព្យាក្រិត សន្តិភាព និងសហប្រតិបត្តិការ | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | FUNCINPEC |
| President | Norodom Chakravuth |
| Vice President | Norodom Rattana Devi |
| Secretary-General | Pich Sochetha |
| Founder | Norodom Sihanouk |
| Founded | 21 March 1981 |
| Preceded by | Sangkum |
| Headquarters | National Road 6A, Phum Kdey Chas, Sangkat Chroy Changvar, Khan Chroy Changvar, Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
| Membership (2019) | 500,000 |
| Ideology | Royalism (Norodom) Conservatism Classical liberalism |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| International affiliation | Centrist Democrat International |
| Colors | Yellow |
| Anthem | "ជយោ! គណបក្សហ៊្វុនស៊ិនប៉ិច" ("Victory! FUNCINPEC Party") |
| Senate | 2 / 62 |
| National Assembly | 5 / 125 |
| Commune chiefs | 0 / 1,652 |
| Commune councillors | 19 / 11,622 |
| Local government | 33 / 4,114 |
| Party flag | |
| Website | |
| funcinpecparty.info (archived) | |
FUNCINPEC was one of the signatories of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords, which paved the way for the formation of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). The party participated in the 1993 general elections organised by UNTAC. It won the elections, and formed a coalition government with the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), with which it jointly headed. Norodom Ranariddh, Sihanouk's son who had succeeded him as the party president, became First Prime Minister while Hun Sen, who was from the CPP, became Second Prime Minister.
In July 1997, violent clashes occurred between factional forces separately allied to FUNCINPEC and the CPP, leading to Ranariddh's ouster from his position as First Prime Minister. Ranariddh subsequently returned from exile in March 1998 and led the party to the 1998 general elections, which was won by CPP with FUNCINPEC as the first runner-up. Subsequently, FUNCINPEC joined CPP again, this time as a junior partner in a coalition government. Ranariddh was appointed as the President of the National Assembly, a post which he held until 2006 when he was ousted from FUNCINPEC by the party's former secretary-general Nhek Bun Chhay.
FUNCINPEC saw its share of voters and seats in the national assembly drop over the general elections of 2003, 2008 and 2013, with the party failing to win a single seat in the National Assembly at the 2013 general elections. In January 2015, Ranariddh returned to FUNCINPEC, and was reappointed as the party's president. The current acting president is Norodom Ranariddh's son, Prince Norodom Chakravuth.