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
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.
