Prime Minister of Cambodia since 2023
Samdech
Hun Manet
(
Khmer
:
???? ??????
,
H?n Manet
[hun
maːnaet]
; born 20 October 1977) is a Cambodian politician and
general
who has been serving as the
prime minister of Cambodia
since 2023,
succeeding his father
,
Hun Sen
.
[1]
He is also the vice president of the ruling
Cambodian People's Party
. Prior to his political appointment, he served in the
Royal Cambodian Armed Forces
(RCAF) as deputy commander-in-chief and the commander of the
Royal Cambodian Army
. Upon appointment as prime minister, he was granted the highest civilian honorary title of
Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet
(Khmer:
?????????????????
;
[a]
meaning "Great Lord and Supreme Leader Hun Manet").
[2]
Manet grew up and received his general education in
Phnom Penh
and later joined the armed forces in 1995, the same year, he entered the
United States Military Academy
at West Point. After receiving his diploma in 1999, Manet became the first Cambodian to graduate from the academy.
[3]
Following the
2023 Cambodian general election
, Hun Sen announced his resignation as prime minister on 26 July, officially making Manet the prime minister-designate.
[4]
Following the King's nomination, he and
his cabinet
were approved by the National Assembly unanimously and were formally sworn into office on 22 August 2023.
Early life and education
[
edit
]
Manet was born on 20 October 1977 in Koh Thmar village,
Memot District
,
Kampong Cham Province
, in the
Khmer Rouge
-ruled
Democratic Kampuchea
as the second son of
Hun Sen
and
Bun Rany
.
[5]
He is of
Teochew Chinese heritage
through his grandfather
Hun Neang
.
[6]
[7]
According to Sen, on the night of Manet's birth, a bright light flew over the roof of the house, which led Sen to believe that his son was born from a
supernatural
being that is worshipped in Koh Thmar village.
[8]
Manet grew up and received his general education in Phnom Penh and later joined the
Royal Cambodian Armed Forces
(RCAF) in 1995, the same year he entered the
United States Military Academy
at West Point. Having received his diploma in May 1999, he became the first Cambodian academy graduate and one of only seven foreign cadets to graduate that year.
[3]
Upon graduation from West Point, he received his bachelor's degree in economics and a commission as a lieutenant in the Royal Cambodian Army. He also received his Master of Arts in economics from
New York University
, US, in 2002, and a
PhD
in economics from the
University of Bristol
, United Kingdom, in 2009, with a thesis titled "What determines the firm size distribution and structural integration? A cross-county study".
[9]
Military service
[
edit
]
Hun Manet joined the army in 1995, the same year he entered the United States Military Academy. He became
Major General
in January 2011, just months after being named Deputy Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army and Deputy Chief of the RCAF Joint Staff.
[10]
Manet played a prominent role in negotiations during the
2008 Cambodian?Thai stand-off
. He became a
lieutenant general
in June 2013,
[11]
and was later promoted to a four-star general in July 2018 coinciding with his taking over responsibilities as the deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RFAC).
[12]
His younger brother,
Hun Manith
, also serves in the army, as
brigadier general
. On 20 April 2023, Hun Manet was officially promoted to four-star general. Minister of Defence
Tea Banh
described his promotion as a reflection of his efforts to "serve the nation, military and Cambodian people".
[13]
On 30 June 2018, weeks before the parliamentary elections, Hun Sen appointed Hun Manet into higher military positions in a bid to prepare his son for the premiership when he retired from politics or died, effectively solidifying the Hun political dynasty in Cambodia.
[14]
Hun Sen had mentioned him as his potential successor.
[15]
Political career
[
edit
]
In June 2020, Manet was promoted to head of the CPP's youth wing.
[16]
He had been mentioned by both media outlets and Hun Sen himself as a candidate for prime minister.
[17]
[18]
[19]
This was formally made official on 4 December 2021 when Manet was unanimously elected by the Cambodian People's Party Central Committee to be the party's future candidate for prime minister after Hun Sen, making him the
prime minister-in-waiting
.
[20]
On 7 August 2023, King Norodom Sihamoni, issued a Royal Decree appointing him as Prime Minister of Cambodia to organize the Council of Ministers for the Royal Government of the seventh mandate.
[21]
An International NGO pays tribute to the new elected Prime Minister Hun Manet.
[22]
Premiership
[
edit
]
Hun Sen publicly announced his endorsement of Manet's candidacy for prime minister for the first time in December 2021.
[19]
Although having never publicly expressed interest in the role, he received strong support from several government ministers, party members as well as the CPP's influential Standing Committee.
[23]
Hun Sen stressed, however, that succession would not take place until at least after the 2028 election.
Hun Manet stood as a
first-ranked candidate
in Phnom Penh for the
National Assembly
in the
2023 general election
, a requirement to be appointed prime minister.
[24]
Three days after the election, in which the CPP claimed a landslide victory, Hun Sen announced his resignation and confirmed that Hun Manet would be the new prime minister. The
new cabinet
was sworn in on 22 August.
[1]
The election was widely criticized by international observers as being in a restrictive political environment and neither free nor fair; the main opposition party was disqualified two months before the election, and an opposition leader was imprisoned.
[25]
[26]
[27]
[28]
On 7 August, King
Norodom Sihamoni
issued a royal decree officially nominating Manet as the new prime minister. He invited Manet to form a new government for the seventh mandate, subject to a
vote of confidence
from the National Assembly on 22 August.
[21]
[29]
His cabinet was confirmed unanimously by the National Assembly on 22 August.
[30]
In February 2024, Manet promoted his younger brother
Hun Many
, the Minister of Civil Service, to deputy prime minister.
[31]
Among Manet's official acts as prime minister is the banning of musical truck horns in March 2024, saying that he was disturbed by “dancing on the street to the musical beats of big cars”.
[32]
Manet also instructed authorities to upgrade
rail transport
across Cambodia.
[33]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Hun Manet is married to Pich Chanmony, the daughter of Pich Sophoan, a former secretary of state at the
Ministry of Labour
.
[34]
Electoral history
[
edit
]
National Assembly
[
edit
]
Election
|
List
|
No.
|
Constituency
|
Votes
|
Result
|
Total
|
%
|
Rank
|
2023
|
|
CPP
|
1
|
Phnom Penh
|
627,436
|
82.26%
|
1st
|
Elected
|
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Hun Manet will become new Prime Minister on August 22"
.
Khmer Times
. 26 July 2023.
Archived
from the original on 27 July 2023
. Retrieved
27 July
2023
.
- ^
"Prime Minister Hun Manet granted the title "Samdech"
"
.
Khmer Times
. 3 September 2023
. Retrieved
3 September
2023
.
- ^
a
b
"Like father, like son in Cambodia"
. Asia Times. 17 March 2011. Archived from the original on 20 March 2011
. Retrieved
1 June
2014
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
"Prime Minister Hun Sen announces resignation"
.
Khmer Times
. 26 July 2023.
Archived
from the original on 27 July 2023
. Retrieved
26 July
2023
.
- ^
"Hun Manet: Walking his father's path into Cambodia's top job"
.
gulfnews.com
. 22 August 2023.
Archived
from the original on 23 August 2023
. Retrieved
23 August
2023
.
- ^
Forest (2008), p. 178 "Sino-khmer originaire du district de Krauch Chmar 140, Hun Sen descend par ses grands-parents paternels d'une famille de proprietaires terriens qui parait correspondre au stereotype du Chinois ? teochiew ? ? implante en zone rurale, c'est-a-dire aisee mais sans pouvoir administratif. Par sa mere, il descendrait inversement d'une tete de reseau....."
- ^
Time
, Volume 136 (1990), p. 329 Beijing has not softened its hostility toward Hun Sen, but there are subtle signs that China may yet shift its position. Some officials now mention that Hun Sen's grandfather was Chinese, seeming to hint at the possibility of a new....
- ^
Vannarin, Neou (3 May 2013).
"Hun Sen Tells of Eldest Son's Supernatural Arrival"
.
The Cambodia Daily
. Archived from
the original
on 4 September 2017
. Retrieved
22 June
2014
.
- ^
"What determines the firm size distribution and structural integration? A cross-county study"
.
E-Theses Online Service
.
Archived
from the original on 21 July 2023
. Retrieved
21 July
2023
.
- ^
Soenthrith, Saing; Vrieze, Paul (30 January 2012).
"Hun Sen's Second Son In Meteoric Rise Through RCAF Ranks"
.
The Cambodia Daily
. Archived from
the original
on 21 February 2018
. Retrieved
1 June
2014
.
- ^
"Election List May Widen Divide in Hun Sen's Party"
.
Radio Free Asia
. 22 February 2013.
Archived
from the original on 23 November 2015
. Retrieved
22 June
2014
.
- ^
Vichea, Pang (2 July 2018).
"Hun Manet is now a four-star General"
.
Phnom Penh Post
.
Archived
from the original on 7 September 2018
. Retrieved
7 September
2018
.
- ^
"Cambodia PM Hun Sen's son becomes four-star general"
.
CNA
. 20 April 2023. Archived from
the original
on 20 April 2023
. Retrieved
21 April
2023
.
- ^
"Cambodian strongman's son assumes powerful military roles"
.
The Straits Times
. 30 June 2018.
Archived
from the original on 2 July 2018
. Retrieved
2 February
2021
.
- ^
"Hun Sen Says Son Is 'Possible Future Leader' of Cambodia"
.
Voice of America
. 9 October 2018.
Archived
from the original on 4 December 2021
. Retrieved
11 October
2018
.
- ^
Narim, Khuon (8 June 2020).
"CPP promotes Hun Manet to lead party's youth wing"
.
Khmer Times
.
Archived
from the original on 30 August 2023
. Retrieved
18 June
2020
.
- ^
Hutt, David (8 June 2019).
"Hun Manet: The Next Prime Minister of Cambodia?"
.
The Diplomat
.
Archived
from the original on 4 October 2019
. Retrieved
30 August
2019
.
- ^
Ben, Sokhean (25 October 2018).
"Hun Manet can be prime minister if he is elected, says Hun Sen"
.
The Phnom Penh Post
.
Archived
from the original on 30 August 2019
. Retrieved
30 August
2019
.
- ^
a
b
"PM Hun Sen declares his support for his son Hun Manet to succeed him as Prime Minister"
.
Khmer Times
. 2 December 2021.
Archived
from the original on 30 August 2023
. Retrieved
9 December
2021
.
- ^
"Hun Manet unanimously elected to be the future Prime Minister"
.
Khmer Times
. 24 December 2021.
Archived
from the original on 26 July 2023
. Retrieved
24 December
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"King issues a Royal Decree appointing His Excellency Dr. Hun Manet as Prime Minister of Cambodia"
.
Khmer Times
. 7 August 2023.
Archived
from the original on 30 August 2023
. Retrieved
7 August
2023
.
- ^
Sokhean, Ben (21 November 2023).
"UPF praises Hun Sen for bringing peace to Kingdom"
.
Khmer Times
.
Archived
from the original on 22 November 2023.
- ^
Sokhean, Ben (6 December 2021).
"Support for Hun Manet as next PM continues to grow"
.
Khmer Times
.
Archived
from the original on 30 August 2023
. Retrieved
9 December
2021
.
- ^
"Hun Manet officially becomes a candidate for Member of Parliament"
.
Khmer Times
. 1 April 2023.
Archived
from the original on 30 August 2023
. Retrieved
2 May
2023
.
- ^
Chen, Heather (21 July 2023).
"One of the world's longest serving leaders is set to win another one-sided election"
.
CNN
.
Archived
from the original on 10 August 2023
. Retrieved
3 August
2023
.
- ^
"Cambodia: Statement by the Spokesperson on the general elections | EEAS"
.
www.eeas.europa.eu
.
Archived
from the original on 1 August 2023
. Retrieved
1 August
2023
.
- ^
Miller, Matthew (23 July 2023).
"National Elections in Cambodia"
.
United States Department of State
.
Archived
from the original on 24 July 2023
. Retrieved
24 July
2023
.
- ^
"FCDO statement on Cambodian elections"
.
GOV.UK
.
Archived
from the original on 7 August 2023
. Retrieved
1 August
2023
.
- ^
"Cambodia: PM's son Hun Manet appointed next ruler in royal formality"
.
BBC News
. 7 August 2023.
Archived
from the original on 7 August 2023
. Retrieved
7 August
2023
.
- ^
"King issues Royal Decree appointing new Council of Ministers with HE Dr. Hun Manet as Prime Minister"
.
Khmer Times
. 22 August 2023.
Archived
from the original on 30 August 2023
. Retrieved
22 August
2023
.
- ^
"Cambodia's new prime minister wins lawmakers' approval for his youngest brother to become his deputy"
.
Associated Press
. 21 February 2024
. Retrieved
8 March
2024
.
- ^
"
'No dancing in the streets': Why has Cambodia banned musical vehicle horns?"
.
Al Jazeera
. 21 March 2024
. Retrieved
21 March
2024
.
- ^
"Manet calls for Cambodia's railways to get back on track"
.
Phnom Penh Post
. Retrieved
24 April
2024
.
- ^
Turton, Shaun; Phak, Seangly (6 July 2016).
"Inside the Hun family's business empire"
.
Bangkok Post
.
Archived
from the original on 30 August 2023
. Retrieved
9 March
2023
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Hun Manet
.
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