PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, one of the world’s longest-serving leaders, said on Wednesday (Jul 26) he will resign and hand power to his eldest son after almost four decades of hardline rule.
The former Khmer Rouge cadre has run the kingdom since 1985, eliminating all opposition to his power, with opposition parties banned, challengers forced to flee and freedom of expression stifled.
His Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) won a landslide victory in an election on Sunday with no meaningful opposition, taking 82 per cent of the vote, paving the way for a dynastic succession to his eldest son that some critics have compared to North Korea.
“I would like to ask for understanding from the people as I announce that I will not continue as prime minister,” the 70-year-old said in a special broadcast on state television.
Election authorities disqualified the only serious challenger, the Candlelight Party, on a technicality in advance of the election, and the CPP is expected to win all but five lower house seats.
The government hailed the 84.6 per cent turnout as evidence of the country’s “democratic maturity” but Western powers including the United States and European Union condemned the poll as neither free nor fair.
The newly elected parliament will convene on Aug 21 and a new cabinet will be sworn in the next day.
Source: CNA
