Manet Could be Leader in Three to Four Weeks: PM
Hun Manet, commander of the Royal Cambodian Army and eldest son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, gestures during a campaign rally in Phnom Penh on July 21, 2023. Photo by TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP
- By Torn Chanritheara
- July 21, 2023 7:27 PM
PHNOM PENH – Prime Minister says his son Hun Manet could be prime minister in three or four weeks, raising the possibility that he will step down and hand over the reins right after the July 23 general election.
Manet, an army general, has been chosen to succeed his father and it is widely believed that the transfer of power will happen during this mandate if the ruling party wins by a landslide, as expected.
In an interview with Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV aired on July 20, Hun Sen, who remains the Cambodian People’s Party prime ministerial candidate for the Sunday election, offered a clearer timeline for Manet to replace him.
“It is now known that there are two prime ministerial candidates, Hun Sen and Hun Manet. Let’s see how many people vote,” he said, adding that Manet could become a prime minister in just three or four weeks.
“I believe that Manet has a higher chance than me.”
The PM also defended his son’s legitimacy to rule the country. His son had the right to be the leader since he had not been deprived of the right due to any crime.
He pointed to the US, Singapore and Japan where sons of previous leaders have led the country.
Eighteen parties will compete in the election with 9.7 million voters registered. The CPP is expected to win most, if not all, of the 125 National Assembly seats in an election which will see its control expanded.
Hun Sen has said that the new government will be formed at the end of August.
If Manet assumes the top post, other children of CPP grandees will follow suit in what will be a generational change.
