It has now been just over two years since Hun Manet assumed the role of prime minister of Cambodia in August 2023. The son of former Prime Minister Hun Sen, Manet’s accession continued the near 40-year rule of the Hun family in one of the least developed nations in Southeast Asia.
In the two-year period of Manet’s rule, any hope that Hun Sen’s Western-educated son would bring positive change has been dashed. The country was deprived by repressive government actions of a viable opposition in both the 2018 and 2023 elections, and Hun Manet continues his father’s role as effective dictator. With Hun Sen now serving as head of the Senate, and no separation of powers to speak of, the state capture by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) is now complete.
Hun Manet’s two years in power have witnessed a decline in any semblance of a government functioning in the interests of its people. By international benchmarks, Cambodia fails dismally in terms of corruption, rule of law, and alleviation of poverty. It was one of four South-East Asian nations on the U.N. list of least developed countries in 2024, 158th of 180 countries in Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index,
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