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Agence France-Presse

Cambodian officials voted in a Senate election on Sunday, setting the stage for former leader Hun Sen to officially return to politics after he stepped down as prime minister last year.
After nearly four decades of hardline rule, Hun Sen handed power to his eldest son Hun Manet in national polls last August held without any significant opposition.
Hun Sen at the time made it clear that despite his resignation, he still intended to wield influence.

The 71-year-old lawmaker and chief of the ruling party cast his ballot near his home in Takhmao city on Sunday morning for a seat in the Senate, the country’s upper house.
Hun Sen has said that he intends to become president of the Senate, allowing him to act as head of state when the king is overseas.
Councillor Chhim Vanarith, voting at the same polling station, welcomed the move.
“If he leads the Senate, obviously our country will be further developed and peaceful,” he said.
Four political parties, including Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), the royalist Funcinpec Party and two small opposition parties, are taking part.
Of the 62-seat Senate, 58 seats will be voted on by 125 MPs and more than 11,000 local administrators. King Norodom Sihamoni will appoint two senators, while the National Assembly will appoint two others.
Most eligible voters are members of the CPP – who made a clean sweep of the Senate last election – making Hun Sen’s victory all but certain.


“This is a sign of the Hun family’s further consolidation of power,” said Sebastian Strangio, author of Hun Sen’s Cambodia.
“It is better to ensure that the position not fall into a potential rival’s hands.”
Becoming president of the Senate would protect his son and prevent the family’s control from being undermined, Strangio added.
The National Electoral Committee is expected to take several weeks to publish official results.
But voters in the capital Phnom Penh seemed keen to see Hun Sen back in a position of authority.
“He has a lot of experience, so if he leads the Senate, our country will be prosperous,” said commune chief Oeu Siphon.

The election follows lawmakers approving Hun Sen’s youngest son Hun Many as a deputy prime minister.
The government now includes a number of Hun Sen’s relatives, with several children of his allies also holding top jobs.
After coming to power in 1985, Hun Sen helped modernise a country devastated by civil war and genocide. But critics say his rule has also been marked by environmental destruction, entrenched corruption and the elimination of nearly all political rivals.
The United States, United Nations and the European Union previously condemned last August’s polls as neither free nor fair.
Hun Sen rejected those allegations and said his handover, a dynastic succession compared by some observers to North Korea, would maintain peace and avoid “bloodshed” should he die in office.
He also warned that should Hun Manet’s life be seriously endangered, he would return as prime minister.


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Cambodia

Cambodia ex-PM Hun Sen returns to frontline politics for Senate seat

Former Prime Minister Hun Sen shows a ballot paper as he votes at a polling station during the Senate election in Takhmao city, Kandal province, on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Former prime minister Hun Sen kisses the ballot paper as he casts his vote at a polling station during the Senate election in Takhmao city, Kandal province, on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Hun Sen’s youngest son Hun Many has been approved as a deputy prime minister. Photo: AFP

France visit offers ‘margin of manoeuvre’ in Cambodia’s bid to ease reliance on China

French President Emmanuel Macron (right) receives Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet prior to their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE

French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet give a joint statement during their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet (left) and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their bilateral meeting at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on December 18, 2023. Photo: AP

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A Tether (USDT) cryptocurrency exchange in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo: Danielle Keeton-Olsen


Tether Holdings’ backers claim that the cryptocurrency it issues is tied to US Treasury Bills. Photo: AFP 

Malaysian youths rescued from human traffickers in Cambodia arrive at the Kuala Lumpur Airport in October 2022. Photo: AP

Cambodia’s ‘passionate’ women tuk-tuk drivers fight prejudice, one ride at a time

Kim Sokleang, better known as Tuk Tuk Lady, transports passengers near the Bayon temple in Siem Reap. Photo: AFP

Tuk-tuk driver Roeung Sorphy, aka Sopy, offers bottles of water to her passengers in Siem Reap. Photo: AFP 

Female tuk-tuk drivers waits for passengers near the Angkor complex in Siem Reap. Photo: AFP 

Tuk-tuk driver Kim Sokleang accepts a fare. To help women in the male-dominated field, she last year founded the Siem Reap Remorque Driver Association. Photo: AFP

Women tuk-tuk drivers prep lotus flowers to put on their vehicles in Siem Reap. Photo: AFP

Cambodia electoral body confirms Prime Minister Hun Sen’s party as the winner after final vote tally

Hun Manet, son of Hun Sen, now leads the ruling Cambodian People’s Party. Photo:  Reuters

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen and his son Hun Manet during election campaign rallies. Photo: Reuters

Hun Manet with his wife, Pich Chanmony, and a supporter’s child during Cambodia’s election campaign. Photo: AP

Cambodians expect more of the same as Hun Sen’s son set to take power: ‘we have no hope’

Hun Manet, commander of the Royal Cambodian Army and eldest son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, shows his finger after he casts his vote at a polling station on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Hun Manet, son of Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, is seen at a polling station on in Phnom Penh on Sunday, the day of Cambodia’s general election. Photo: Reuters

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen shows his ballot at a polling station on Sunday. The 70-year-old strongman has said for years that he wants his son to take power after him. Photo: Xinhua

Hun Manet shows his finger after he casts his vote at a polling station. Despite his increasingly public presence, little is known about Hun Sen’s son. Photo: AFP

Election officials count ballots at a polling station on Sunday. Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party secured 82.3 per cent of the vote, according to preliminary results. Photo: AFP

Election officials empty a ballot box to prepare the counting of the votes in Phnom Penh. Ahead of Sunday’s vote, Hun Sen said he could pass the leadership to his son within three or four weeks. Photo: EPA-EFE

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Asia

Southeast Asia

Becoming president of the Senate will allow Hun Sen to act as head of state when the king is overseas, a move seen as the Hun family’s further consolidation of power
Cambodian lawmakers and voters in Phnom Penh say ‘our country will be prosperous’ if Hun Sen returns to lead the Senate


Becoming president of the Senate will allow Hun Sen to act as head of state when the king is overseas, a move seen as the Hun family’s further consolidation of power.


Asia elections

Hun Sen

Cambodia ex-PM Hun Sen returns to frontline politics for Senate seat

Becoming president of the Senate will allow Hun Sen to act as head of state when the king is overseas, a move seen as the Hun family’s further consolidation of power Cambodian lawmakers and voters in Phnom Penh say ‘our country will be prosperous’ if Hun Sen returns to lead the Senate

Becoming president of the Senate will allow Hun Sen to act as head of state when the king is overseas, a move seen as the Hun family’s further consolidation of power

Cambodian lawmakers and voters in Phnom Penh say ‘our country will be prosperous’ if Hun Sen returns to lead the Senate