‘Son’ rises in Cambodia: Ruling party selects future PM
Bangkok, Dec 24 (EFE).- Cambodia’s ruling party Friday endorsed Prime Minister Hun Sen’s eldest son as the future head of the country.
The Cambodian People’s Party elected Lieutenant General Hun Manet as the future prime ministerial candidate, official Fresh News said, citing a party spokesperson.
The party in power since 1998 and led by Hun Sen unanimously supported the prime minister’s first-born son as his successor to power.
Manet is the eldest son of Hun Sen and Bun Rany.
He is currently a deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
He also leads the Central Youth Committee of the CPP.
Hun Sen, 69, has ruled Cambodia for 36 years.
He made his intentions public in early December to prop up his son as his successor.
However, he pointed out that he still had time in office and looked strong enough to continue until 2028.
Manet, 44, received a bachelor’s degree from West Point in 1999.
He also received a Master of Arts in Economics from New York University in 2002, and a doctorate from the University of Bristol in 2008.
Cambodia plans to hold general elections in 2023. Local polls will take place in 2022.
Manet has been a three-star general in the armed forces and a commander since 2018, and in recent years he has built a public image as a statesman closely linked to his father’s legacy.
After outlawing the opposition and jailing many of its leaders, Hun Sen revalidated his mandate in 2018 at the polls and succeeded in winning over 125 seats in parliament, making Cambodia a de facto single-party nation. EFE
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