UPDATE - Cambodia’s prime minister announces resignation

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM PRIME MINISTER, ADDS DETAILS, REVISES DECK

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who was at the helm for the past 38 years, announced his resignation on Wednesday.

The announcement came after his governing Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) claimed a landslide victory in Sunday elections.

In an address to the nation, Sen, 70, a former Khmer Rouge battalion deputy commander, said that his eldest son Hun Manet, who heads the country’s army, will succeed him.

Sen said the nation's King Norodom Sihamoni will announce the new prime minister in the next three weeks, adding that Hun Manet "did not skip any procedure" as he participated in elections and is a lawmaker.

Manet, a graduate of the US Military Academy, has been serving as the commander of the Royal Cambodian Army since 2018.

Preliminary results showed that the CPP secured 120 seats in the 125-seat parliament while the official election results will be announced next month.

Stressing he “will not interfere” in the work of his successor, Sen said: “His resignation is a prelude to long-term stability, which is the foundation for development.”

*“The resignation of the Prime Minister is a great sacrifice to ensure the peace of the nation,” according to transcription released by Khmer Times, a local English-language newspaper.

Sen is expected to be appointed the president of the Supreme Council of the King and will also replace Senate’s President Samdech Say Chhum, after Senate elections on Feb. 25 next year.