Editing Norodom Ranariddh (section)

===President of the National Assembly (1998–2006)===

[[Image:Ranariddh Powell 2003.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Ranariddh meets US Secretary of State [[Colin Powell]] in Phnom Penh, 2003]]

Following Ranariddh's departure, Sihanouk urged him to return with a view to joining the CPP in a coalition government, reckoning that FUNCINPEC faced the prospect of breaking up if Ranariddh refused.<ref>Mehta (2013), p. 292</ref> Ranariddh returned to Cambodia on 12 November 1998 to attend a summit meeting hosted by Sihanouk,<ref>{{cite web |author=Post Staff |url=http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ranariddh-maneuvered-new-summit |title=Ranariddh maneuvered into new summit |date=13 November 1998 |access-date=22 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222110305/http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ranariddh-maneuvered-new-summit |archive-date=22 December 2015 |work=Phnom Penh Post |url-status=dead }}</ref> at which Ranariddh negotiated with Hun Sen and Chea Sim over the structure of a new government.<ref name="Summers238">Summers (2003), p. 238</ref> An agreement was reached whereby FUNCINPEC would be given the National Assembly presidency together with several low and mid-level cabinet posts, in exchange for its support for the creation of the [[Senate (Cambodia)|Cambodian Senate]]. On 25 November 1998, Ranariddh was nominated as the President of the National Assembly.<ref name="Widoyono267"/> According to Mehta, the creation of the Senate was to provide an alternative platform to pass legislation in the event that Ranariddh exerted his influence as the President of the National Assembly to block legislation.<ref>Mehta (2001), pp. 131–32</ref>

After his appointment, Ranariddh worked with Hun Sen to re-integrate the FUNCINPEC-aligned troops into the RCAF.<ref>Peou (2000), p. 355</ref> He also participated in efforts to foster better relations with Vietnam, and liaised with the [[National Assembly (Vietnam)|Vietnamese National Assembly president]] [[Nông Đức Mạnh]] to develop friendship and cooperation initiatives.<ref name="Summers242">Summers (2003), p. 242</ref> This led to several mutual visits between Cambodian and Vietnamese political leaders, between 1999 and 2000,<ref>{{cite web |author=Brian Mockenhaupt |url=https://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/vietnams-na-leader-talks-border-dispute-15323/ |title=Vietnam's NA Leader Talks Border Dispute |date=21 February 2000 |access-date=8 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003134457/https://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/vietnams-na-leader-talks-border-dispute-15323/ |archive-date=3 October 2015 |work=The Cambodia Daily |url-status=dead }}</ref> but relations between Cambodia and Vietnam deteriorated from September 2000 onwards amid renewed border clashes.<ref name="Summers242"/> Ranariddh steered FUNCINPEC towards political rapprochement with the CPP, and actively discouraged FUNCINPEC ministers and MPs from criticising their CPP counterparts. During the party's congress in March 2001, Ranariddh declared the CPP an "eternal partner".<ref name="Mehta179">Mehta (2001), p. 179</ref>

As early as 1999, a sizeable minority of FUNCINPEC's politicians were unhappy with Ranariddh's leadership, as rumours began to circulate that he had accepted bribes from the CPP.<ref>{{cite web |author=Post Staff |url=http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hun-sen-loyalists-take-key-posts-rumors-fly |title=Hun Sen loyalists take key posts as rumors fly |date=12 November 1999 |access-date=7 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924120527/http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hun-sen-loyalists-take-key-posts-rumors-fly |archive-date=24 September 2015 |work=Phnom Penh Post |url-status=dead }}</ref> In February 2002, FUNCINPEC performed poorly in the [[Commune Council (Cambodia)|commune elections]], winning 10 out of 1,600 commune seats.<ref name="Summers239">Summers (2003), p. 239</ref> As a result of FUNCINPEC's poor performance in the commune elections, rifts within the party boiled into the open.<ref name="Strangio99">Strangio (2014), p. 99</ref> In March 2002, the Deputy Commander-in-chief of the RCAF – Khan Savoeun, accused You Hockry, the co-Minister of the Interior, of corruption and nepotism, acts which Savoeun claimed had alienated voters.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Thet Sambath |author2=Lor Chandara |name-list-style=amp |url=https://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/ranariddh-will-approve-you-hockry-firing-32088/ |title=Ranariddh Will Approve You Hockry Firing |date=14 May 2002 |access-date=9 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211062100/https://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/ranariddh-will-approve-you-hockry-firing-32088/ |archive-date=11 December 2015 |work=The Cambodia Daily |url-status=dead }}</ref>

When Ranariddh expressed support for Savoeun in May 2002, Hockry resigned. Around the same time, two new political parties, splintered from FUNCINPEC, were formed:   the Khmer Soul Party, led by Norodom Chakrapong, and the Hang Dara Democratic Party, led by Hang Dara.<ref name="Summers239"/> Both new parties attracted sizeable numbers of FUNCINPEC defectors, who were apparently unhappy with Ranariddh's leadership. The defections caused Ranariddh to fear that FUNCINPEC would fare poorly in the 2003 general elections.<ref>{{cite web |author=Thet Sambath |url=https://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/unhappy-royalists-start-second-new-party-32441/ |title=Unhappy Royalists Start Second New Party |date=3 June 2002 |access-date=13 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212200640/https://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/unhappy-royalists-start-second-new-party-32441/ |archive-date=12 February 2015 |work=The Cambodia Daily |url-status=dead }}</ref>

When [[2003 Cambodian general election|general elections]] were held in July 2003, the CPP won, while FUNCINPEC polled 20.8 percent of the popular vote and secured 26 out of a total of 120 parliamentary seats. This marked an 11 percentage point drop in FUNCINPEC's share of the popular vote compared with 1998.<ref>Chin (2005), p. 115</ref> Both Ranariddh and Sam Rainsy, whose SRP had also participated in the elections, expressed unhappiness with the outcome of the election, and once again accused the CPP of winning through fraud and voter intimidation. They also refused to support a CPP-led government, which needed the joint support of more MPs from FUNCINPEC or SRP to attain the [[Supermajority#Two-thirds vote|two-thirds majority]] in forming a new government.<ref name="Strangio99"/>

Subsequently, in August 2003, Ranariddh and Rainsy formed a new political alliance, the "Alliance of Democrats" (AD), and together they lobbied upon the CPP to form a three-party government consisting of the CPP, FUNCINPEC and the SRP.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Yun Samean |author2=Porter Barron |name-list-style=amp |url=https://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/prince-repeats-call-for-a-3-party-coalition-40084/ |title=Prince Repeats Call for a 3-Party Coalition |work=[[The Cambodia Daily]] |date=18 August 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703020305/https://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/prince-repeats-call-for-a-3-party-coalition-40084/ |archive-date=3 July 2015 |access-date=13 February 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> At the same time, they also called for Hun Sen to step down and a reform of the NEC, which they claimed was stacked with pro-CPP appointees.<ref name="Strangio99"/> Hun Sen rejected their demands, bringing several months of political stalemate.<ref>Strangio (2014), p. 100</ref>

In March 2004, Ranariddh privately proposed to Hun Sen that FUNCINPEC should join CPP in the new government as a junior coalition partner.<ref name="Chin118">Chin (2005), p. 118</ref> Discussions between CPP and FUNCINPEC began on the composition of the coalition government and legislative procedures. An agreement was reached in June 2004, when Ranariddh walked out of his alliance with Rainsy, dropped his demands to reform the NEC<ref>Chin (2005), p. 119</ref> and once again pledged to support Hun Sen as Prime Minister. Hun Sen also pressured Ranariddh into supporting a constitutional amendment known as a "package vote", which required MPs to support legislation and ministerial appointments by an open show of hands.<ref name="Strangio 2014, p. 101">Strangio (2014), p. 101</ref>

While Ranariddh acquiesced to Hun Sen's demand, the "package vote" amendment was opposed by Sihanouk,<ref name="Strangio 2014, p. 101"/> Chea Sim, the SRP as well as several senior leaders within FUNCINPEC. After the "package vote" amendment was passed in July 2004, several FUNCINPEC leaders resigned in protest.<ref>Strangio (2014), p. 102</ref> Ranariddh, who remained as President of the National Assembly as part of the agreement,<ref>{{cite web |author1=Yun Samean |author2=Lor Chandara |name-list-style=amp |url=https://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/all-of-cpps-ministers-to-keep-jobs-41684/ |title=All of CPP's Ministers To Keep Jobs |date=2 July 2004 |access-date=25 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225215938/https://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/all-of-cpps-ministers-to-keep-jobs-41684/ |archive-date=25 December 2015 |work=25 December 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> attempted to lure SRP leaders into defecting to FUNCINPEC with the promise of jobs within the government. At least one senior SRP leader, Ou Bun Long, caved into Ranariddh's enticements.<ref>Chin (2005), p. 121</ref>