A momentous generational shift in power looms in Cambodia, as Prime Minister Hun Sen works out when to hand over the reins to his eldest son after nearly 40 years of iron-fisted rule.
The ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) announced in March that Hun Manet, the prime minister’s eldest son and commander of the Royal Cambodian Army, would run as a parliamentary candidate in July’s national elections. This would make him eligible to become prime minister after his virtually guaranteed election.
On April 24, Manet suspended his army duties, cementing his move from a military to an explicitly political role.
