PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s parliament on Tuesday elected long-time ruler Hun Sen’s eldest son as the country’s new prime minister, sealing a dynastic handover of power after last month’s one-sided election.
Heng Samrin, the lawmaker who chaired the meeting, announced that Hun Manet was elected unanimously.
Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) won all but five seats in the lower house in July polls that were widely decried as a sham after the main opposition party was barred from running.
Days after the landslide victory, Hun Sen – one of the world’s longest-serving leaders – announced he was stepping down and handing power to his eldest son, Hun Manet, after nearly four decades of iron-fisted rule.
The Cambodian king – who holds a largely symbolic role – convened parliament on Monday, paving the way for lawmakers to elect four-star general Hun Manet, 45, as the country’s new leader on Tuesday.