Hun Sen, Asia’s longest-ruling leader, to step down, names son successor
Hun Sen’s departure announcement comes days after his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) cruised to a landslide victory in an election that has been roundly criticized by the United States and other Western countries as “neither free nor fair,” and it paves the way for a once-in-a-generation transition of power.
“This is like the end of an era,” said Chhengpor Aun, a visiting fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies who focuses on Cambodian politics.
The CPP came to power in 1979, after the terror-soaked years of the Khmer Rouge regime. The party’s top brass have consolidated control over nearly every aspect of Cambodian life in recent decades — including their own succession, analysts say. Apart from Hun Sen, other members of the CPP old guard, including the sitting defense minister and deputy prime minister, are expected to step down in coming weeks and give way to the 30-something children of the party elite.
Politically, little is expected to change, at least in the near term. “If you look at the party’s priority, it’ll remain the same, which is: keep the party in power as long as possible,” Aun said.
Sam Rainsy, the exiled leader of an opposition party, said the arrival of Hun Manet to the premiership would not buttress democracy in Cambodia. “Make no mistake, just like with Syria’s Assad and North Korea’s Kim … Hun Manet will continue the rule of this father, who, for almost four decades, has built a highly centralized power structure,” Rainsy said in a statement.
