The National Assembly (NA) has approved 36 laws this year which serve the interests and needs of the Kingdom and its people. Last year it approved only 32 laws, said secretary-general Leng Peng Long.

However, while welcoming the approvals, political analyst Em Sovannara said some of the laws had not been fully implemented.

Speaking on December 8, Peng Long said the 36 laws were proposed by the government for approval by the NA and that they met the needs of the Kingdom in light of the current situation.

He said some of the laws had been approved but had yet to be used, such as the State of Emergency Law.

“For now, the NA has approved the laws. But if there is a request by the government, it will continue to review and approve others as well,” he said.

Peng Long said some laws, such as the Law on Electronic Commerce (E-commerce Law), had long been drafted but the NA approved it only this year.

Sovannara said the NA had approved many laws in response to national needs, but that some of the approved laws had not been fully put to use.

“When we look at the Constitution, certain principles and articles within it have not been fully implemented, such as Article 1 concerning convening the national congress which has not been held till now.

“Others concern legal mechanisms, international covenants, and human rights conditions in Cambodia which have not yet been fully implemented,” he said.

Sovannara said the NA had approved other laws at the request of the government. But some of those, he said, did not correspond to national needs but served the interests of politicians and individuals.