Cambodia’s king appoints Hun Sen’s son as new leader

Hun Manet was effectively gifted the PM post by his strongman father, who stood down days after a landslide victory in elections decried as a sham
The 45-year-old and his cabinet will have to face a confidence vote in a parliament dominated by his ruling party to officially become leader

Cambodia

Agence France-Presse

Published: 1:01pm, 7 Aug 2023

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Hun Manet’s nomination as Cambodia’s new leader was approved by the country’s king on Monday, after the 45-year-old was effectively gifted the post by his father who had ruled for nearly four decades.

Days after a landslide victory in July’s election, Hun Sen – one of the world’s longest-serving leaders – announced he was stepping down as prime minister and handing power to his eldest son.

The polls were widely decried as a sham after the main opposition challenger, the Candlelight Party, was barred from running over a technicality, with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party winning all but five seats in the 125-member lower house.

On Monday, following a request from Hun Sen, King Norodom Sihamoni issued a royal decree stating that he “appoints Dr Hun Manet as the prime minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia for the 7th mandate of the parliament”.

Hun Sen (right) pictured with King Norodom Sihamoni at Cambodia’s Royal Palace last month. Photo: AFP

The decree endorsing the Western-educated army general was shared on the Telegram channel of his father and signals the imminent end of the former Khmer Rouge guerrilla’s nearly four decades at the helm of a country rebounding from decades of war and poverty.

However, to officially become the country’s next leader, Hun Manet and his cabinet must win a confidence vote in parliament expected later this month.

The incoming government will usher in a crop of young ministers – with some taking posts vacated by their fathers.

While insisting he would not interfere with his son’s rule, Hun Sen has also promised Cambodians that he will continue to dominate the country’s politics.

Having come to power in 1985, Hun Sen helped modernise a country devastated by civil war and genocide, although critics say his rule has also been marked by environmental destruction, entrenched corruption and the elimination of nearly all political rivals.

The United States, United Nations and the European Union condemned last month’s polls as neither free nor fair.

Hun Sen rejected those allegations and said his handover, a dynastic succession compared by some observers to North Korea, would maintain peace and avoid “bloodshed” should he die in office.

He also warned that should Hun Manet’s life be seriously endangered, he would return as prime minister.

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Cambodia’s Hun Sen resigns as prime minister after 38 years of hardline rule, hands power to son

While groomed for the position for years, the eldest son of Cambodia’s iron-fisted ruler remains untested in the political arena, analysts say.

And there are few expectations Hun Manet will chart a more liberal path than his father, despite being educated in England and the United States.

A member of the ruling party’s powerful permanent committee, he has been the Royal Cambodian Army’s commander since 2018.

Hun Manet has also met some world leaders, including President Xi Jinping of China, Cambodia’s main ally and a significant benefactor.

After stepping down, Hun Sen will become president of the Senate early next year and acting head of state when the king is overseas.

During his years overseas, Hun Manet earned a master’s degree in the US and a doctorate in Britain, both in economics. He is also a graduate of the prestigious West Point military academy in the US.

Hun Manet has said little of his vision for the country. He won a seat in the capital, Phnom Penh, in the election.

Additional reporting by Reuters