Cambodian king appoints outgoing premier's son as new chief executive

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on Monday appointed Hun Manet as new prime minister of the Southeast Asian nation.

“The king has issued a royal decree appointing a new prime minister to lead the country after I decided to step down to give chance to the successors to lead,” said outgoing Prime Minister Hun Sen on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Manet was appointed prime minister through a royal decree which authorizes him to organize the Council of Ministers.

Manet, the eldest son of Hun, led election campaign of the Cambodian People’s Party which won 121 seats in the 125-seated parliament.

He is currently deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army.

Hun, 70, announced last month that he is stepping down to pave way for his son Manet.​​​​​​​

In the social media post, Hun recalled that he was “youngest prime minister (32 years old when he took office) and the longest-serving in the world.”

Thanking his wife for her support, Hun said he will formally step down 15 days later after serving 38 years as prime minister.​​​​​​​