The election is over! Will he become the next Prime Minister of Cambodia? Parliament | General Election | Cambodia

On July 23rd local time, Cambodia held parliamentary elections. After the vote, the People's Party led by Prime Minister Hun Sen announced its victory. It is believed that the focus of this election is Hong Mane, the eldest son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power for nearly 40 years.

Hong Mane is 45 years old and currently serves as the Deputy Commander in Chief and Army Commander of the Cambodian Royal Army. He also ran for a member of parliament in the general election.

Before the parliamentary elections, Hun Sen said in an interview, "Perhaps within three to four weeks at the earliest, Hun Mane will become the Prime Minister. It depends on whether he can achieve this."

·Hongmanei.

The eldest son of the current Prime Minister

Since 1985, Hun Sen has served as the Prime Minister of Cambodia and is the longest serving government leader in Asia. He has been in power for 38 years and has repeatedly hinted at stepping down as prime minister.

Five years ago, he stated that he would serve as Prime Minister until the next election, and that the next decision would be left to the people. In 2021, he proposed the idea of having his eldest son, Hung Ma Nai, take over.

Hun Sen has multiple children, and Hun Mane is his eldest son. He was born in a village in Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia and received basic education in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, as a child.

In 1993, he graduated from high school and began studying economics at the University of Adelphi in the United States. One year later, he joined the Cambodian Armed Forces and applied to study at the US West Point Military Academy the same year, becoming the first West Point graduate in Cambodian history.

·Hong Manei and his father Hong Sen.

Due to the scholarship, Hong Sen will no longer provide financial support to his son. Hong Mane often saves some money from scholarships to donate to school construction in Cambodia.

In 1999, Hong Mane was admitted to New York University with excellent grades to pursue a Master's degree in Economics. He obtained his degree in 2002 and then went on to further his studies at the University of Bristol in the UK, where he obtained a Ph.D. in Economics in 2008.

During his studies abroad, Hong Mane studied French for a period of time in a host family in France and worked part-time during his doctoral studies, taking on substitute classes for younger students.

Simultaneously mastering economics and political science, laying a solid foundation for Hong Mane's future development.

Rich military experience

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After returning to Cambodia, he was promoted to colonel and appointed as the commander of the Cambodian National Counter Terrorism Special Forces, participating in national counter-terrorism capacity building.

In 2013, he was awarded the rank of Major General by the Cambodian Ministry of Defense and appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Cambodian Army and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force, while continuing to serve as the Commander of the Counter Terrorism Force.

·Hongmanei.

From 2008 to 2011, conflicts broke out between Cambodia and Thailand due to border territorial disputes. Hong Mane played an important role in ending the standoff negotiations, leading bilateral negotiations and resolving disputes.

In addition, he is committed to the reform of Cambodia's air force, focusing on cultivating young officers and soldiers, and establishing prestige in the military.

Hong Mane has been serving as the Commander of the Cambodian Armed Forces Army since 2018 and has met with several foreign dignitaries and leaders.

Hong Mane was promoted to a four-star general in just 24 years, becoming the youngest general in the Cambodian military and also the third highest ranking official after the Commander in Chief of the Cambodian Royal Army, General Umbi Sa, and the Chief of Staff of the Cambodian Royal Army, General N'Sara.

·Hongmanei.

In 2020, with the strong recommendation of the Central Standing Committee of the Cambodian People's Party, Hong Mane was appointed as the Chairman of the Youth Movement of the Cambodian People's Party.

This has greatly elevated his political status, as Cambodia has approximately 6 million members of the People's Party, of which 30% are young people aged 15 to 35.

Compared to his "glamorous" education and military background, Hong Mane himself has always been relatively low-key in his actions.

During his study abroad, he rarely appeared in public places, even at the graduation ceremony at West Point, he chose to celebrate alone with his father.

·Hun Sen.

On social media, he usually shares only a few moments of his life like his father and rarely makes personal comments.

"We are ready for a new generation of successors"

Since Cambodia held its first general election in 1993, elections have been held every five years, and approximately 9.7 million out of Cambodia's 16 million population qualify as voters in this election.

According to regulations, the political party that obtains a majority of seats will be responsible for forming a new government, and the parliament will elect a new Prime Minister for a term of 5 years.

·Hongmanei.

According to Reuters, a total of 18 political parties participated in the election, except for the ruling Cambodian People's Party, the other 17 political parties are not very well-known. In the previous election, these 17 political parties did not win any parliamentary seats.

Meanwhile, in May this year, the Candlelight Party, the main competitor of the People's Party, was accused of submitting election documents that did not comply with regulations and was disqualified from running.

The Cambodian National Election Commission stated that international observers from approximately 60 countries and organizations, including the Speaker of the Malaysian Parliament and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Guinea Bissau, have been appointed to oversee the Cambodian general election.

According to reports, about 90000 Cambodian observers and over 300 foreign observers supervised the election process, and China also dispatched a team of 12 observers.

About 100000 security personnel are deployed throughout Cambodia. The Phnom Penh Post reported on the 23rd that according to data from the Cambodian Election Commission, a total of 23789 polling stations were established nationwide in this election, with 84% of approximately 9.7 million registered voters participating in the vote.

·Election polling stations in Cambodia.

Although the official voting results have not yet been announced, spokesperson for the Cambodian People's Party, Suu En Shan, said, "We won by an overwhelming margin... but we are still unable to calculate the number of seats."

Since Cambodia held its first general election, the Cambodian People's Party has won all six previous elections. In the 2018 general election, the Cambodian People's Party swept all 125 seats in the parliament.

On the 21st of this month, Hong Mane appeared at the central square in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, and delivered a speech to numerous supporters.

·Hongmanei.

He spoke in a gentle tone and had a relaxed expression, expressing full confidence in the overwhelming victory of the Cambodian People's Party.

Hong Mane stated that the Cambodian People's Party has brought peace, stability, and progress to the Cambodian people. He said to the cheering crowd, "Voting for the Cambodian People's Party is voting for yourself."

According to local media reports, about half of the current members of the ruling People's Party will step down in the general election, which means that the new parliament will have to be updated and iterated. When it is officially established, nearly half of the members will be new.

Two days ago, Hun Sen stated in a meeting with international observers that the Cambodian People's Party is ready for a new generation of successors, who are highly educated and knowledgeable in digital technology, to continue maintaining sustainable political stability and economic growth in Cambodia.

According to the Cambodian Constitution, candidates for Prime Minister must first become members of parliament, and must also be appointed by the King of Cambodia to form a new royal government, which must be approved by the parliament before they can officially become Prime Minister.

Can Hong Mane become the next Prime Minister of Cambodia? All sectors will continue to pay attention.