The Khmer National Party is a strong advocate for the Khmexit movement
Khmer independence, also known as Khmexit, is a regionalist political movement pushing for the secession of the 20 historically Khmer provinces from the Federal Republic of Indochina.
Kampuchea was an independent kingdom until French colonization in the mid-19th century, after which it was incorporated into French Indochina. After the end of French rule and the Geneva Convention in 1954, a general election was held throughout Indochina in 1955 that elected the Worker's Party of Indochina (WPI) into power. The first Constitutional Convention of independent Indochina established the Union of Democratic Republics of Indochina as a federation of three republics, with Kampuchea being a constituent member state with a devolved congress. In the 1980, the three republics were dissolved as Indochina underwent federalization and became the modern Federal Republic of Indochina.
During the early 2000s, the pro-independence Khmer National Party (KNP) became the governing party of various Khmer states, including Kandal, Phnom Penh and Prey Veng. In 2008, these three provincial governments held the Khmer independence referendum despite protests from the federal government, which said the referendum was non-binding and illegal.
Voters were asked: "Do you support the recreation of an independent Kampuchean nation? To that end, should the provinces of Kandal, Phnom Penh and Prey Veng be independent from the Federal Republic?" 48.7 percent of voters answered "Yes" and 52.3 percent answered "No", with a record voter turnout of 79 percent.
Despite the referendum being defeated, the federal government were deeply concerned by the fact that nearly half voted in favor of secession. It had implemented crackdowns on pro-independence activists and groups. In response to the referendum, the Federal Assembly passed the 38th Amendments to the Federal Constitution in late 2008 with bipartisan support from the ruling WPI and the opposition Conservative Coalition, effectively banning secessionist groups like the KNP from participation in federal elections. Three out of six largest political groups in the Federal Assembly, including the ruling WPI, have endorsed federal crackdown on secessionist movements; some have explicitly ruled out coalition with the KNP at the state and local levels. The federal government was accused of curtailing political freedom by threatning groups that provide funding for the KNP and other secessionist movements.
2008 Khmer independence referendum[]
Historical Flag of Kampuchea
The 2008 Khmer independence referendum was a referendum held in the three Khmer provinces of Kandal, Phnom Penh and Prey Veng of the Federal Republic of Indochina that asked voters whether Kampuchea (which was dissolved in 1980 with the federalization of Indochina) should be recreated and pursued a path toward sovereignty. The referendum was called by the pro-independence Khmer National Party (KNP) when they became the governing party of these three provinces for the first time after the regional election in 2007.
The referendum met with protests from the federal government, which said the referendum was non-binding and illegal. Voters were asked: "Do you support the recreation of an independent Khmer nation? To that end, should the provinces of Kandal, Phnom Penh and Prey Veng be independent from the Federal Republic?"
48.7 percent of voters answered "Yes" and 52.3 percent answered "No", with a record voter turnout of 79 percent.
| No (52.3%) | Yes (48.7%) |
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