Cambodian Parliament Elects Longtime Ruler's Son as New PM

Facts

• On Tuesday, Cambodia's national assembly unanimously endorsed the four-star general Hun Manet to succeed his father, the outgoing PM Hun Sen, who ruled for nearly four decades.¹
• This comes as Hun Sen anticipated that his eldest son was to take over as prime minister shortly after his Cambodian People's Party's landslide electoral victory in July, in which Hun Manet won his first assembly seat.²
• While the election was widely criticized for lacking any prominent opposition to the ruling party, Hun Manet described it as free and fair in his speech after being appointed prime minister.³
• He also praised his father, who has pledged to remain in politics and has expressed a desire to become president of the Senate next year, and the older generation of politicians for their leadership.⁴
• The Western-educated 45-year-old new leader has previously served as head of counter-terrorism, deputy chief of Hun Sen's bodyguards, army chief, and deputy military commander in Cambodia.⁵
• Further new faces in Hun Manet's cabinet consist of Tea Seiha, replacing his father — Tea Banh — as minister of National Defense, and Sar Sokha, replacing his father — Sar Kheng — as minister of the Interior.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²NBC, ³Independent, ⁴Reuters, ⁵The Guardian, and ⁶Associated Press.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Asia Times. This reshaped, youthful cabinet led by a US and UK-educated individual may lead to a thawing in tensions with the West, offering Cambodia the opportunity to reshape its policies. With tourism damaged since the pandemic and Chinese investment below domestic expectations, there is a chance, albeit a small one, that the country may change its direction.
• Narrative B, as provided by Nikkei Asia. Hopes that the Western-educated Hun Manet will reform the police state his father built or even abandon its vital alliance with China are completely delusional, as Hun Sen will continue to pull the strings as head of the ruling party. Cambodia won't change while this regime stands and this family remains in power, so the West should define an effective strategy to defend its interests and security.