Norodom Ranariddh (; 2 January 1944 – 28 November 2021, UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ) was a Cambodian politician and law academic. He was the second son of King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and a half-brother of King Norodom Sihamoni. Ranariddh was the president of FUNCINPEC, a Cambodian royalist party. He was also the first Prime Minister of Cambodia following the restoration of the monarchy, serving between 1993 and 1997, and subsequently as the President of the National Assembly between 1998 and 2006.
Ranariddh was a graduate of the University of Provence and started his career as a law researcher and lecturer in France. In 1983, he joined FUNCINPEC and in 1986 became the chief of staff and commander-in-chief of Armée nationale sihanoukiste. Ranariddh became Secretary-General of FUNCINPEC in 1989, and its president in 1992. When FUNCINPEC won the 1993 Cambodian general election, it formed a coalition government with the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), which was jointly headed by two concurrently serving prime ministers. Ranariddh became the First Prime Minister of Cambodia while Hun Sen, who was from the CPP, became the Second Prime Minister. As the First Prime Minister, Ranariddh promoted business interests in Cambodia to leaders from regional countries and established the Cambodian Development Council (CDC).
From early 1996, relations between Ranariddh and Hun Sen deteriorated as Ranariddh complained of unequal distribution of government authority between FUNCINPEC and the CPP. Subsequently, both leaders publicly argued over issues such as the implementation of construction projects, signing of property development contracts, and their rival alliances with the Khmer Rouge. In July 1997, major clashes between troops separately aligned to FUNCINPEC and the CPP took place, forcing Ranariddh into exile. The following month, Ranariddh was ousted from his position as First Prime Minister in a coup d'état.
He returned to Cambodia in March 1998, and led his party in the 1998 Cambodian general election. When FUNCINPEC lost the elections to the CPP, Ranariddh, after initially challenging the results, became President of the National Assembly in November 1998. He was seen as a potential successor to Sihanouk as the King of Cambodia, until in 2001 he renounced his interest in the succession. As the President of the National Assembly, Ranariddh was one of the nine members of the throne council which in 2004 selected Sihamoni as Sihanouk's successor.
In March 2006, Ranariddh resigned as the President of the National Assembly and in October 2006 was ousted as President of FUNCINPEC. The following month, he founded the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP). Accusations and a conviction of embezzlement drove him into exile again. He returned to Cambodia after being pardoned in September 2008 and retired from politics. Between 2010 and 2012 he unsuccessfully attempted a merger of his NRP with FUNCINPEC. In 2014, he launched the short-lived Community of Royalist People's Party (CRPP) before returning to FUNCINPEC in January 2015. He was subsequently re-elected to the FUNCINPEC presidency.
Ranariddh remained out of public view following a car accident during the 2018 election campaign, which saw the death of his second wife. He made frequent visits to France for medical treatment, and died in November 2021 in Aix-en-Provence.
Early life
Ranariddh was born on 2 January 1944 in Phnom Penh to Sihanouk and his first wife,Mehta (2001), p. 3 Phat Kanhol, who was a ballet dancer attached to the royal court.Mehta (2001), p. 1 Ranariddh was separated from his mother at three years of age when she remarried, and subsequently grew up mostly under the care of his aunt, Norodom Ketkanya, and grandaunt, Norodom Sobhana.Mehta (2001), p. 4 Ranariddh attended primary education at Norodom School and completed part of his high school studies at Lycee Descartes in Phnom Penh.Mehta (2001), p. 7 During his childhood, he developed a close relationship with his grandparents, Norodom Suramarit and Sisowath Kossamak, but was distanced from his father.Mehta (2001), p. 6
In 1958, Ranariddh was sent to a boarding school in Marseille together with his half-brother Norodom Chakrapong.Mehta (2001), p. 11 Ranariddh initially planned to pursue medical studies as he did well in science subjects, but was persuaded by Kossamak to study law. After finishing high school in 1961, he enrolled in the undergraduate law programme of the University of Paris. He struggled to focus on his studies in Paris, which he attributed to the social distractions that he encountered in the city.Mehta (2001), p. 14
In 1962, Ranariddh enrolled in the law school of the University of Provence. He obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees in 1968 and 1969 respectively, specialising in public law.Mehta (2001), p. 19 After completing his master's, Ranariddh took the PhD qualifying examinations in 1969. He returned to Cambodia in January 1970, and worked briefly as a secretary at the Interior Ministry.Mehta (2001), p. 28 When Lon Nol staged a successful coup against Sihanouk in March 1970, Ranariddh was dismissed from his job and fled into the jungle where he was a close associate of resistance leaders.Mehta (2001), p. 37
In 1971, Ranariddh was captured, along with several members of the royal family, and was held in prison for six months before being released. He was rearrested the following year, and spent a further three months in detention.Mehta (2001), p. 39 In 1973, Ranariddh returned to the University of Provence,Mehta (2001), p. 42 where he completed his PhD in 1975.Mehta (2001), pp. 48–49 Between 1976 and 1979, he worked as a research fellow at the CNRS,Narong (2005), p. 204 and was awarded a diploma of higher studies in air transport.Mehta (2001), p. 194 In 1979 Ranariddh went back to the University of Provence as an associate professor,Mehta (2001), p. 66 teaching courses in constitutional law and political sociology.Norodom (2014), p. 11
Entry into politics
Initial years in FUNCINPEC
When Sihanouk formed FUNCINPEC in 1981, Ranariddh declined his father's invitation to join the party as he disagreed with its association with the Khmer Rouge. In June 1983, Sihanouk urged Ranariddh to leave his teaching career in France and join FUNCINPEC, and this time he agreed. Ranariddh was appointed a personal representative to Sihanouk, and relocated to Bangkok, Thailand,Mehta (2001), p. 67 where he took charge of the party's diplomatic and political activities in Asia. In March 1985, Ranariddh was appointed inspector-general of the (ANS), the armed force of FUNCINPEC, and in January 1986 became ANS commander-in-chief and chief-of-staff.Mehta (2001), p. 184
Ranariddh became secretary-general of FUNCINPEC in August 1989, when Sihanouk stepped down as its president.Mehta (2001), p. 82 On 10 September 1990, Ranariddh joined the Supreme National Council of Cambodia (SNC), an interim United Nations administrative body tasked with overseeing sovereign affairs of Cambodia.Widyono (2008), pp. 34–35 When the 1991 Paris Peace Accords were signed in October of that year, officially ending the Cambodian–Vietnamese War, Ranariddh was one of the SNC signatories. In February 1992, he was elected to the presidency of FUNCINPEC.Widyono (2008), p. 154
1993 elections
When the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) – a parallel administrative body with the SNC – was formed in February 1992, Ranariddh was appointed one of its council members. He spent time travelling between Bangkok and Phnom Penh, and while in Phnom Penh led efforts in opening FUNCINPEC party offices across Cambodia.Mehta (2001), p. 88 At the same time, FUNCINPEC began to criticise the ruling CPP,Mehta (2001), p. 87 which retaliated with violent attacks by police against low-level FUNCINPEC officials.Widyono (2008), p. 117
The attacks prompted Ranariddh's close aides, Norodom Sirivudh and Sam Rainsy, to advise him against registering the party for the 1993 general elections. However, the chef-de-mission for UNTAC, Yasushi Akashi, encouraged Ranariddh to run in the elections. Persuaded by Akashi,Mehta (2001), p. 91 he registered the party and the election campaign began in April 1993. Ranariddh, as well as other FUNCINPEC officials, wore T-shirts depicting Sihanouk on the campaign trail. This nominally complied with an election rule by the UNTAC administration not to use Sihanouk's name during the campaign,Mehta (2001), p. 92 who now served as the politically neutral head of the SNC.Widyono (2008), p. 41 Voting took place in May 1993;Widyono (2008), p. 119 FUNCINPEC secured about 45 percent of the valid votes, winning 58 out of a total of 120 parliamentary seats.Widyono (2008), p. 127 The CPP refused to recognise the election results and complained of electoral fraud.Peou (2000), pp. 174–75
On 3 June 1993, CPP leaders Chea Sim and Hun Sen met with Sihanouk and persuaded him to head an interim government with the CPP and FUNCINPEC as joint coalition partners.Widyono (2008), p. 124 Ranariddh, who had not been consulted, expressed surprise. At the same time, the United States and China opposed the plan, prompting Sihanouk to rescind his decision the following day.Widyono (2008), p. 125 On 10 June 1993, CPP leaders led by General Sin Song and Chakrapong threatened to secede eight eastern provinces from Cambodia.Mehta (2013), p. 238 Ranariddh feared a civil war with the CPP, which had a much larger army than the ANS.Peou (2000), p. 215
Accordingly, he accepted the idea of FUNCINPEC working with the CPP,Mehta (2001), p. 102 and both parties agreed to a dual prime minister arrangement in the new government.Mehta (2001), p. 104 On 14 June, Ranariddh presided over a parliamentary meeting which made Sihanouk the Head of State, with Hun Sen and Ranariddh serving as co-Prime Ministers in an interim government.Widyono (2008), p. 129 A new constitution was drafted over the next three months, and was adopted in early September. On 24 September 1993, Sihanouk resigned as the head of state and was reinstated as King of Cambodia. In the new government, Ranariddh and Hun Sen were appointed the First Prime Minister and Second Prime Minister, respectively.Summers (2003), pp. 232–33
Co-premiership (1993–1997)
Co-operation and co-administration with CPP
Benny Widyono, the UN secretary-general's representative in Cambodia from 1994 to 1997,Widyono (2008), p. xxvii has observed that although Ranariddh was nominally senior to Hun Sen, he held less executive power.Widyono (2008), p. 166 Ranariddh initially viewed Hun Sen with suspicion, but the pair soon developed a close working relationship,Widyono (2008), p. 130 agreeing on most policy decisions made until early 1996.Peou (2000), p. 243Widyono (2008), pp. 214–15 In August 1993, while Cambodia was still under the administration of an interim government, Ranariddh and Hun Sen jointly applied to make the country a member in the International Organization of the Francophonie. The decision to enter the Francophonie sparked a debate among students in higher educational institutes, particularly those from the Institute of Technology of Cambodia who called for French to be replaced with English as the language of instruction. In response, Ranariddh encouraged students to simultaneously learn both English and French.