Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Aug 21 (EFE).- Cambodia’s new National Assembly convened on Monday at the start of a two-day session that will be marked by the transfer of power from Prime Minister Hun Sen to his son Hun Manet after 38 years in power.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (C) walks during the opening ceremony of a new session of parliament at the National Assembly in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 21 August 2023. EFE-EPA/KITH SEREY
King Norodom Sihamoni presided over the first day of the new National Assembly following general elections on July 23, 30 years after Cambodia held its first democratic elections in 1993, organized by the United Nations.
Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni greets lawmakers during the opening ceremony of a new session of parliament at the National Assembly in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 21 August 2023. EFE-EPA/KITH SEREY
The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), led by Hun Sen, won 120 out of 125 parliamentary seats in an election slammed as a “sham” by the opposition, which could not contest due to bureaucratic obstacles.
Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni (C-L) poses with lawmakers during the opening ceremony of a new session of parliament at the National Assembly in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 21 August 2023. EFE-EPA/KITH SEREY
The remaining five seats went to the royalist Funcinpec party led by Prince Norodom Chakravuth, while the main opposition Candlelight Party was disqualified two months earlier for failing to submit all required documents, according to the government’s version.
A few days after the landslide election victory, Hun Sen announced he would step down after 38 years in power and hand over the reins to his oldest son, 45-year-old Hun Manet, who will face a vote of confidence in parliament on Tuesday.
In addition to the handover of power from Hun Sen to his son, the new cabinet will undergo a generational shift with the presence of more young ministers. EFE
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