Supreme Leader of Democratic Kampuchea

Supreme Leader of Democratic Kampuchea
Longest serving
Pol Pot
17 April 1975 – 27 December 1979
TypeDe facto leader[1][2][3]
StatusUnoffical position or Informal term for the most important political figure of Democratic Kampuchea
SeatPhnom Penh (1975–1979)
Unknown (1979–1981)
Phnom Malai (1981)[4]
Unknown (1982)
PrecursorNone
Formation17 April 1975 (1975-04-17)[10]
First holderPol Pot
Final holderKhieu Samphan
Abolished22 June 1982 (1982-06-22)[11]
SuccessionPhnom Penh based:
De facto leader of the People's Republic of Kampuchea
Unofficial namesLeader of the Khmer Rouge's totalitarian regime[12]
Dictator of Cambodia[13]
Deputy"Number Two"[14][15][2]

The Supreme Leader of Democratic Kampuchea was the de facto highest position in Democratic Kampuchea between 1975 and 1982, as the position was not mentioned in the constitution or it was just an informal term for the most important political figure of the Democratic Kampuchea.[16][4]

List

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Term of office Party Deputy References
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Pol Pot
ប៉ុល ពត
(1925–1998)[a]		 17 April 1975 27 December 1979 4 years, 254 days CPK
Nuon Chea
(1975–1979)[18]
Unknown
(January 1979–December 1979)		 [16][4][12][13][17]
2 Khieu Samphan
ខៀវ សំផន
(born 1931)		 27 December 1979[b] 22 June 1982 2 years, 177 days CPK
PDK		 Unknown
(December 1979–June 1982)		 [16][4][20]

Timeline

Khieu SamphanPol Pot

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ In December 1979, Pol Pot said that while he was the top leader of political and military affairs, he allowed Khieu Samphan and Ieng Sary to run the administration.[17]
  2. ↑ Khieu Samphan also became Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Pol Pot (Saloth Sar)". alphahistory.com. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  2. 1 2 3 "Pol Pot". Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
  3. ↑ "Cambodia's Prime Ministers: A Complete List". SessionTalk. 5 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "IN THE LAND OF THE KHMER ROUGE". The New York Times. 20 December 1981 – via NYTimes.com.
  5. ↑ "Pol Pot und Rote Khmer – Wie der Terror Kambodscha bis heute prägt". SWRKultur. 16 May 2025.
  6. ↑ "Pol Pot (1925–1998)". BBC.
  7. ↑ "DEATH OF POL POT; Pol Pot, Brutal Dictator Who Forced Cambodians to Killing Fields, Dies at 73". The New York Times. 17 April 1998.
  8. ↑ "Pol Pot". Ebsco.
  9. ↑ "Relationship in the Shadow of Vietnam: the GDR and Cambodia/Kampuchea 1969–1989" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-08-18.
  10. ↑ [5][6][7][8][9]
  11. ↑ "Khieu Samphân | Sciences Po Mass Violence and Resistance - Research Network". Sciencespo.fr. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
  12. 1 2 "Pol Pot". Britannica.
  13. 1 2 "Pol Pot Dictator von Kambodscha". Deutschlandfunk. 15 May 2025.
  14. 1 2 "Nuon Chea and the Failures of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal | Council on Foreign Relations". Cfr.org. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  15. 1 2 "Einstiger Chefideologe der Roten Khmer ist tot". Dw.com. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  16. 1 2 3 "CAMBODIA: A Plea for International Support". TIME. 10 March 1980.
  17. 1 2 "From the archive, 11 December 1979: Deposed Pol Pot gives interview in the jungle". The Guardian.
  18. ↑ [14][15][2]
  19. ↑ "Kampuchea in 1980: The Politics of Attrition". Michael Leifer. January 1981.
  20. ↑ "Berita Harian, 27 December 1979". Eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
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