Democratic Kampuchea

Kampuchea, officially known as Democratic Kampuchea, is a country located in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Thailand, Laos, and South Vietnam. The country is a one-party state, governed exclusively by the Communist Party of Kampuchea, also known as the Khmer Rouge.

History
Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge on 17 April 1975, bringing an end to the American backed regime of Marshal Lon Nol. Sihanouk, the former King, briefly served as the country's figurehead leader until the formal proclamation of Democratic Kampuchea on 15 January 1976.

The Khmer Rouge immediately set about implementing radical reform; abolishing all forms of banking, finance, and currency, closing many schools, hospitals, and factories, and forcibly collectivizing agriculture. Under Pol Pot's leadership, the organization declared the beginning of a political "Year Zero". All major cities were evacuated; their residents relocated onto cooperative farms in the countryside. The Khmer Rouge viewed the former urban dwellers with suspicion. Branded "New People" by the organization, they were forced to perform intense manual labour. An estimated two million people, a quarter of the total population, are believed to have died during this period; many directly executed by the Khmer Rouge, others resulting from starvation, exhaustion, and disease.

Pol Pot abruptly resigned as leader of the Khmer Rouge in 1985, ostensibly due to health concerns. Khieu Samphan succeeded him as head of the party and Nuon Chea as head of government. The mass terror that had characterized the preceding decade by and large came to an end.

Government
According to the country's constitution, Democratic Kampuchea is "a socialist state of peasants, workers, and all Kampuchean labourers." The country's only legal political party is the Communist Party of Kampuchea.

State Presidium
The State Presidium is Democratic Kampuchea's collective head of state. The body is responsible for representing the country at home and abroad, ratifying international treaties, and accrediting diplomats. It is headed by a Chairman and three Vice Chairmen, and its members are appointed by the People's Representative Assembly. The current Chairman of the State Presidium is Khieu Samphan, who is also General Secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea.

People's Representative Assembly
The People's Representative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of Democratic Kampuchea. It consists of 250 members, elected every five years. As per the constitution, 150 seats are reserved for representatives of the peasants, 50 for the laborers and "other working people", and 50 for the personnel of the Kampuchean Revolutionary Army. A Standing Committee, consisting of 25 members, exercises legislative functions when the chamber is not in session.