Hun Sen anoints son as Cambodia’s reserve prime minister

After four decades in power, Cambodia’s 69-year-old leader may be planning to step aside, naming his son as ‘reserve prime minister’.

Hun Sen will seek stand for re-election next year for another five-year term, but wants to shore up his dynastic successor against unforeseen events. Picture: AFP

Cambodian leader Hun Sen, one of the world’s longest-serving strongmen, has declared his military commander son Hun Manet his “reserve prime minister”, warning he could succeed him at any time, in the strongest indication he will soon step aside.

The 69-year-old leader, who has served as his country’s Prime Minister since 1985, said he would stand for re-election in July 2023 for another five-year term, but wanted to shore up his dynastic successor against unforeseen events.

“Reserving the next generation is something that must be prepared, otherwise a crisis will occur. For example, if suddenly Hun Sen is gone, who will continue? So there has to be a clear decision from the party,” he said during the inauguration of a new flyover in the capital Phnom Penh on Thursday.

“It’s the way the party works, we also have other preparations.”

Lieutenant General Hun Manet, 44, a West Point graduate who serves as commander of the Royal Cambodian Army and deputy commander-in-chief of the armed forces, was unanimously elected by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party’s central committee as its future prime ministerial candidate in late December.

Mr Hun Sen’s latest comments reflect a determination to bolster a family dynasty, though it is unclear whether General Hun Manet may face a challenge from other leadership aspirants from old-guard figures within the highly factionalised CPP.

Opposition Cambodian Reform Party vice-president Ou Chanrath told the Khmer Times: “I think he is just standing for election to give time for Hun Manet to later replace him, which means that if he (Manet) runs for office now, there may be many challenges, especially the reaction from CPP supporters.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a welcome ceremony at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh. Picture: AFP/Cambodia’s Government Cabinet/Saoyorn Udom

“The party may lose some support. For a new candidate, sometimes the people do not know him and he has not yet ­accomplished great achievements. The older generations may not fully go along with him.”

Lee Morgenbesser, a Cambodia expert and senior lecturer at Griffith University’s School of Government and International Relations, told The Weekend Australian that by designating Hun Manet reserve PM “Hun Sen is once again demonstrating a disdain for checks and balances on his rule”.

“Ahead of the general election next year he seeks to bolster support for his party by projecting an image of stability, as well as his son’s future rule (by warding off potential challengers within the party). It is a clever and cynical ploy from the ageing dictator.”

The announcement coincided with Cambodia and China signing a memorandum of understanding late on Thursday committing their two armies to deeper security ties. General Manet sealed the agreement with his Chinese counterpart, Liu Zhenli, in a video call, Chinese ­defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian said in Beijing without providing further details.

“China and Cambodia are close neighbours and iron-clad friends,” Bloomberg reported Senior Colonel Wu as saying.

“In recent years, the pragmatic co-operation between the two militaries in various fields, including strategic communication, joint exercises and training, exchanges and personnel training, has continued to deepen.”

The announcement follows revelations that China has forged a security pact with the Solomon Islands that could provide its warships a safe harbour some 2000km from the Australian coast. The move has raised alarm bells in Canberra and Wellington despite the Solomon Islands government insisting on Friday it won’t allow China to build a military base.

Under the terms of the draft agreement, China may still send police, military and other armed forces to Solomon Islands “to ­assist in maintaining social order”, and also send warships for stopovers and to replenish supplies.

US-Cambodia relations have been tense since reports in 2019 that Beijing had secured a secret agreement with Phnom Penh to allow its armed forces exclusive use of parts of the Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand.