Cambodia PM Hun Sen To Step Down, Will Hand Over Power To Son

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen would be stepping down and will hand over the reins to his son Hun Manet in the coming weeks, CNN reported on Wednesday. Hun Sen, who happens to be one of the world’s longest-serving leaders made the announcement in a speech on Wednesday.

“Hun Manet … will become the prime minister in the coming weeks,” he said, adding the new premier will be appointed on August 10. Hun Sen, who has ruled the Southeast Asian country for nearly 40 years, was speaking just days after his ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) swept a general election after running virtually unopposed, CNN reported.

“I will continue as the head of the ruling party and member of the National Assembly,” CNN quoted Hun Sen as saying. The newly elected parliament would convene on August 21 and a new cabinet would be sworn in on August 22, Hun Sen said. Earlier on July 23, Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) claimed a “landslide” victory in national elections, Al Jazeera reported.

However, critics described Cambodia’s elections as the least free and fair vote in decades, the report added. Opponents and human rights groups have criticised the polls due to the lack of credible competition and Hun Sen’s strongman tactics that have now silenced all opposition to his rule in Cambodia, according to Al Jazeera report.

Opposition supporters were arrested in the run-up to Sunday’s vote for allegedly encouraging people to spoil the ballot papers in protest of the one-sided election race. Internet service providers were also directed to block access to the websites of several independent news and information outlets.

(ANI)