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Prime Minister of Cambodia

Head of government of Cambodia

Layered newspapers, civic records and oral-history reels arranged as chronological evidence
History and societyInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 7, 2026
Entity authorityQ1999325 ↗
Source-derived summary

The prime minister of Cambodia (Khmer: នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី, UNGEGN: Néayôk Rôdthâmôntrei, pronounced [niəjuək rɔəttʰamɔntrəj]; literally 'chief minister') is the head of government of Cambodia. The prime minister is also the chairman of the Cabinet and leads the executive branch of the Royal Government of Cambodia. The prime minister is a member of parliament, and is appointed by the monarch for a term of five years. Since 1945, 37 individuals have served as prime minister; 33 as official prime ministers, and 4 in acting capacities. The current prime minister since 2023 is Hun Manet.

History

The position was first held by King Norodom Sihanouk in March 1945, during the French colonial administration. On 13 March 1945, Sihanouk collaborated with Imperial Japan and declared Cambodia's independence from France. On 18 March, he proclaimed himself prime minister and formed the first government which lasted until August 1945. He was succeeded by Son Ngoc Thanh until October 1945. Following the surrender of Japan, the French administration returned, ending the Japanese occupation.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Prime Minister of Cambodia” is head of government of Cambodia. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Prime, Minister and Cambodia, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewMost valuable as an event-and-institution map that identifies actors, dates and record creators for deeper historical inquiry. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1945, 2023—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1945-03-18. For this dossier, Prime, Minister and Cambodia is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “head of government of Cambodia” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Contemporary correspondence, administrative files and participant testimony can test how later narratives organized the event or institution. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1999325. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1945 and 2023.

Critical limits

Official terminology may obscure informal participation, dissent or communities documented only indirectly. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Compare institutional narratives with records created by participants and affected communities. Dates and formal titles are useful anchors, but not substitutes for context.

Best used for
  • Event chronology
  • Institutional context
  • Locating named record creators
Verify next

Contemporary correspondence, government or organizational records, oral histories and cited historical scholarship.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Prime Minister of Cambodia”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Prime Minister of Cambodia primary sources, Prime Minister of Cambodia archive and Prime research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Prime Minister of Cambodia”?
  2. What chronology connects this entry to wider political or social change?
  3. Who created the surviving record, and for what administrative purpose?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Prime Minister of Cambodia” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.