Whereas the latter cultivated a populist power base, encompassing both radical students and - importantly - the Khmer National Armed Forces, the Republicans attracted the urban elite, Sino-Khmer businessowners, and a handful of military officers (such as Thongvan Fanmuong).
Although the Republicans' nationalist platform was in many ways similar to that of the PSR, Sirik Matak's rather aloof style placed him at a disadvantage to the populism of Lon Nol.
[2] The political situation in the Khmer Republic continued to unravel, and on March 25, 1973, Tep Khunnah was the target of an assassination attempt when a grenade was thrown into his car.
[3] The incident was widely believed to be the work of Lon Non, whose "Republican Security Battalion" was linked with such activities by Western intelligence agencies.
[3] Despite the appointment of the "High Political Council", Sirik Matak and the Republicans could not break the dominance of the PSR before the total collapse of the Khmer Republic on April 17, 1975.