Cambodia’s parliament has elected Hun Manet, the eldest son of former Prime Minister Hun Sen, as the new leader of the country in a historic transfer of power.
Hun Manet, a 45-year-old military general, received unanimous support from the 123 lawmakers who attended the vote on Tuesday. He became eligible for the post after winning a seat in last month’s parliamentary elections, which were widely criticized by the international community as a sham.
Hun Manet is the first new prime minister of Cambodia in nearly four decades, as his father had ruled the country since 1985 with an iron fist. Hun Sen, a 71-year-old former Khmer Rouge guerrilla, announced his resignation last month after claiming a landslide victory for his ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), which won all but five of the 125 seats in the National Assembly.
He said he wanted to make way for a new generation of leaders, but also vowed to remain in politics for at least another 10 years in other roles, such as the president of the Senate and the Supreme Council of the King.