2023-08-07 03:52:08
Cambodia
Hun Manet officially appointed prime minister by the king
Hun Manet succeeds his father Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for 38 years but who wants to continue to exert his influence on the country.
Posted7 August 2023, 05:52
Hun Sen had been talking about handing over power to his eldest son, Hun Manet, who played a leading role in the July legislative campaign, for more than a year.
Cambodia’s king has officially appointed Hun Manet as prime minister, succeeding his father Hun Sen, who ruled the country with an iron fist for 38 years. King Norodom Sihamoni “appoints Dr Hun Manet Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia for the 7th term of Parliament”, according to a royal decree issued on Monday.
It now remains for Hun Manet and his government the formality of obtaining, on August 22, a vote of confidence in Parliament, dominated by the party in power. A few days after a landslide victory in the controversial legislative elections in July, Hun Sen, aged 70, announced that he was stepping down as prime minister in favor of his 45-year-old son.
Closer relationship with China
Hun Manet, a four-star general, trained in Britain and at the American military academy at West Point. He had led the Cambodian army since 2018. Hun Sen assures that this dynastic succession, comparable to the North Korean regime, is done to maintain peace and avoid “bloodshed” in the event that he dies in office.
Hun Sen had been talking about handing over power to his eldest son, who played a leading role in the July legislative campaign, for more than a year. But Hun Sen made it clear that he intended to exert influence even after his departure, ruling out any change in direction.
He will now serve as President of the Senate, number 2 in protocol after King Norodom Sihamoni, whom he will replace as Head of State when the latter is abroad. Under the reign of Hun Sen, Cambodia made a notable rapprochement with China.
Muzzled opponents
The former Khmer Rouge, who came to power in 1985, is accused of having rolled back fundamental freedoms and used the judicial system to muzzle his opponents, thrown by the dozens into prison during his mandates. In March, opposition leader Kem Sokha was sentenced to 27 years in prison and placed under house arrest for treason.
Sebastian Strangio, author of a book on Cambodia under Hun Sen, believes that Hun Manet has “little demonstrated that he was going to make more than cosmetic changes to the current political system”. Without his father’s support, he’s not sure he could bring about change even if he wanted to.
He has not yet rubbed shoulders with the political arena, also noted this month the analyst Ou Virak, judging that the future leader, married and father of two girls and a boy, was mainly raised with a spoon. , and that it was golden.
(AFP)Show comments
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