ANKARA
Cambodia is bracing for a momentous change, a literal generational shift in the country’s politics.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, Asia’s longest serving leader, is handing over power after nearly four decades, with his chosen successor being his eldest son Hun Manet.
Hun Sen made the announcement after his ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) claimed an outright win in the July 23 election, which was conducted with no real opposition force in the running.
In a televised address, the 71-year-old said Cambodia would become unstable if he stayed on as prime minister, saying it was “very necessary for a new Cabinet of all young people” to assume control.
The transition marks an end for the old guard that has been in place since a rebellion overthrew the Khmer Rouge in 1979.
Hun Manet’s appointment received royal assent earlier this month and is expected to be approved by Parliament on Tuesday.
His Cabinet is likely to have many younger lawmakers with ministerial positions, including Hun Sen’s youngest son and others related to other older party members.
Many of them have been educated in Western universities and could change the style of leadership in Cambodia.
Who is Hun Manet?
Born on Oct. 20, 1977, Hun Manet is the eldest of Hun Sen’s five children.
He grew up and received his early education in Phnom Penh, enlisting in the Cambodian military in 1995.
That was the same year he joined the US Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated in 1999 to become the first Cambodian to ever do so.
Three years later in 2002, he got a master’s degree in economics from New York University, followed by a PhD in economics from the UK’s University of Bristol in 2008.
He kept rising up the ranks of the Cambodian military, becoming a four-star general and the commander of the army.
He was also made the head of the CPP’s youth wing in June 2020.
Hun Manet is married to Pich Chanmony, the daughter of a senior politician, and the couple have three children.
Hun Sen’s controversial legacy
Hun Sen may be handing over power to his son, but he is still expected to retain massive influence in a country that he ruled since 1985.
Born Hun Bunal on Aug. 5 1952, he changed his name to Hun Sen in 1972, two years after joining the Khmer Rouge as a soldier.
In 1977, as a middle-ranking military officer, he defected to Vietnam and fought alongside Vietnamese forces in the Cambodian-Vietnamese War.
He became a senior member in the new government installed after Khmer Rouge’s ouster in 1979.
From 1979 to 1986 and again from 1987 to 1990, he served as Cambodia’s foreign minister. At 26, he was also the world’s youngest foreign minister at the time.
He became prime minister for the first time in 1985.
His long rule has seen Cambodia go from a low-income country to lower middle-income status in 2015, which expects to attain middle-income status by 2030, according to the World Bank.
However, his critics say the gap between the rich and the poor has widened greatly during his rule, with another major concern being rampant deforestation and the involvement of his allies and foreign investors in land grabbing.
Stifling opposition
Hun Sen has repeatedly been accused of using strong-arm tactics to stifle the opposition.
When the CPP barely overcame the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in the 2013 elections, he went after its leaders and the opposition party was eventually dissolved by the courts.
The unofficial successor to CNRP, known as the Candlelight Party, was barred from the July elections, leaving the CPP completely unchallenged.
Some Western nations criticized the vote and the US imposed visa restrictions on individuals who it said “undermined democracy and implemented a pause of certain foreign assistance programs.”
His stance toward the opposition even landed him in trouble with Facebook.
Hun Sen was a prolific Facebook user, boasting some 14 million followers, and regularly broadcast his daily life and political activities on the platform.
However, in early June, a Facebook oversight body recommended his account be suspended because of the language he used in one of his videos.
In the now-deleted video, Hun Sen told his political opponents to choose between the “legal system” and “a bat,” basically threatening them with physical assault.
With Hun Manet taking the mantle, it remains unclear whether Cambodia is in for a major change in governance.
However, Sam Nainsy, an interim leader of CNRP who has been in exile for the past seven years, reportedly said there is “every reason to expect that Hun Manet will continue the style of rule of his 71-year-old father.”
