Concerns around livelihoods, education and corruption abound among Cambodia’s political parties, according to party policy documents registered with the National Election Committee, as minor parties push for anti-graft measures as well as major increases in social welfare benefits.

The ruling Cambodian People’s Party, along with 16 minor parties registered to compete in the July 23 elections, have provided documents to the National Election Committee containing their policy priorities and promises.

Policy documents for the Cambodian Indigenous Peoples Democracy Party were not listed on the NEC website. The Candlelight Party, widely considered the only viable opposition party, was disqualified from participating.

The NEC posted two versions of the party policies: One on July 1, and another on July 6. There were no major differences between the documents, but some parties’ policies were only included in the first document.

The most common themes across the policy documents included providing or improving social benefits, mentioned by 12 parties, often including major minimum wage increases; improving corruption, mentioned by 10 parties; and improving the Cambodian education system, mentioned by nine parties.

The documents varied in their levels of detail, with some parties’ policies containing only promises with no hints about how they would implement them. The Farmer’s Party, Women for Women Party and People Purpose Party, for example, gave only a sentence each per policy point. The Khmer Economic Development Party was tersest, with five short points, but added it was passionate about making the country better. Meanwhile, the Khmer Anti-Poverty Party gave additional details for its policies, many of which looked to the U.S. as an example for Cambodia’s development.

While the ruling CPP wrote technically of assistance programs and development strategies, some other parties gave more unique policy suggestions. Notably, the Khmer Anti-Poverty Party floated the idea of enlisting controversial U.S. tycoon Elon Musk’s help in developing satellite internet in Cambodia. Other policies tapped into xenophobia: The Khmer United Party wants to build a fence along national borders, while the Cambodian Youth Party said it would recheck the immigration documents of all foreign nationals. The Beehive Social Democratic Party suggested eliminating floating houses — dwellings that are often inhabited by Cambodia’s minority Cham and Vietnamese residents.

Here’s a breakdown of the parties’ policy documents:

Social Benefits

Twelve parties promised to increase social benefits, whether through health care improvements or pensions. Seven parties said they would provide free health care services in some fashion if elected, while another four said they would improve the healthcare system. Six parties mentioned specific salary increases for workers and pensions.

Among its seven priorities, the Cambodian Youth Party lists increasing civil servant salaries to at least 2.8 million riel, or about $650 monthly, and increasing general workers to start from 1.8 million riel, or about $450 monthly, as opposed to the current minimum wage of 818,800 riel, or about $198 monthly. Those older than 60 years, the party said, would receive 300,000 riel ($75) each to start a pension and would establish elder care centers for poor people.

The Khmer United Party, meanwhile, promised to improve professional standards within the health care system, with faster services, less discrimination against poor families and those with disabilities. The party also said it would make services at public hospitals free.

The 12 parties that discussed improving social benefits were the Ekpheap Cheat Khmer Party, Cambodian Youth Party, Funcipec, Women for Women Party, Khmer Anti-Poverty Party, Grassroots Democracy Party, Khmer United Party, Democracy Power Party, Cambodian People’s Party, Dharmacracy Party, Khmer Conservation Party and the Khmer National United Party.

Anti-Corruption

Ten opposition parties named corruption as a priority within their policies, but provided few details as to how they would tackle the problem. Several emphasized reforming the judicial system, which international observers consider to be impartial, by separating and distinguishing the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government from one another. 

Ekpheap Cheat Khmer Party’s first policy promised to eliminate corruption across public and private institutions​, while the party’s second policy claimed it would eliminate drug trafficking and land encroachment. The policy did not explain how it planned to eliminate corruption. Similarly, the Khmer National United Party promised to clean up corruption in one of its 11 policies but did not elaborate.

The Khmer Anti-Poverty Party proposed introducing an “electronic system to eliminate corruption from the bottom to the top” that would help to sentence people who had committed acts of corruption to jail. The party argued that a similar system has been “applied in the U.S. successfully” but did not explain further.

The 10 parties that promised to eliminate corruption were the Women for Women Party, Khmer Anti-Poverty Party, Khmer National United Party, Dharmacracy Party, Grassroots Democracy Party, Farmer’s Party, Ekpheap Cheat Khmer Party, Democracy Power Party, Cambodian Youth Party and Khmer Conservative Party.

Improving Education

Nine parties promised to improve the education system across the country by increasing salaries for teachers, eliminating classes requiring extra payment from students and providing free food in schools.

The Khmer National United Party, for instance, promised to increase teacher salaries to at least 2 million riel ($500) monthly, and to create vocational schools, with a particular focus on prisons.

Some parties said they would eliminate extra classes in which teachers require payment from families, a widespread practice across the country, though they did not say how they would enforce such a policy. The Cambodian Youth Party, for instance, said it would seek to provide “quality education for all, no extra classes allowed and education training for 2 million youth.”

The nine parties are the Ekpheap Cheat Khmer Party, Beehive Social Democratic Party, Khmer Anti-Poverty Party, Cambodian People’s Party, Cambodian Youth Party, Khmer National United Party, Dharmacracy Party, Khmer United Party and Democracy Power Party.

Party Policies Summarized