Hun Manet

Hun Manet (born October 20, 1977, Mémót district, Kâmpóng Cham province (now in Tbong Khmŭm province), Cambodia) is a Cambodian politician who became prime minister in 2023. He succeeded his father, Hun Sen, who ruled for almost four decades, from 1985 to 2023.

Early life and education

Hun Manet is the eldest son of five children born to Hun Sen and Bun Rany. Hun Sen later said in public speeches that Hun Manet is possibly a child of Neak Ta Anchanh Koh Thmar, a local powerful spirit, because, according to Hun Sen, several people witnessed a flashing light over his house when Hun Manet was born. Hun Manet grew up in Phnom Penh while Cambodia was going through a civil war.

Hun Manet was the first Cambodian to graduate from the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York (B.A., 1999). He also studied economics at New York University (M.A., 2002) and the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom (Ph.D., 2008). In 2006 Hun Manet married Pich Chanmony, the daughter of a Cambodian politician. Together they have two daughters and a son.

Career

Before succeeding his father as prime minister, Hun Manet had a long career in Cambodia’s military. Having joined the Cambodian military in 1995, Hun Manet ascended rapidly through the ranks once he returned to the country from the United Kingdom. After serving as deputy commander of the army and deputy chairman of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) Joint Staff for a month, he was promoted to major general in January 2011. Hun Manet was then named deputy commander in chief of the RCAF in 2019 and led the counterterrorism team. He was also named deputy chief of the prime minister’s bodyguard unit. Outside the military, Hun Manet accumulated political experience when he became a member of the standing committee of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) in 2018 and was chosen to head the party’s youth wing in 2020. In 2021 Hun Sen named Hun Manet his successor, saying, “Even if he cannot be like his father, at least his capacity should match that of his father by 80 or 90 percent.” The CPP’s central committee later endorsed Hun Manet as the next prime minister. In 2023 Hun Manet was promoted to four-star general, the highest military rank in Cambodia.

Hun Manet as prime minister

In July 2023 Hun Sen announced that he would resign as prime minister the next month and that Hun Manet would succeed him. Hun Sen also stated that he would remain as the head of the ruling party. The announcement came several days after the CPP declared victory in the 2023 parliamentary elections, in which the party faced no challenge because the only opposition party, the Candlelight Party, had been disqualified from running. In addition, through the imprisonment of several opposition politicians and the shutting down of one of the country’s major independent media outlets, dissent was nearly eliminated in the run-up to the elections.

Having been formally appointed prime minister by Cambodia’s king, Hun Manet was sworn in on August 22, 2023. Speaking to the National Assembly, he stated that it was “necessary to continue leading the country peacefully and securely and to maintain development and make reforms in all sectors.” International media remarked on the handover of the premiership from a father to his son as a significant generational transition, as about 75 percent of the country had only ever known Hun Sen as their prime minister. Whereas several experts have speculated whether Hun Manet would implement reforms or continue his father’s rule, Hun Manet has not provided a clear direction and instead stated that he would focus on improving the economy and social justice in Cambodia. In response to criticism about the legitimacy of the elections, Hun Manet said at a 2023 United Nations General Assembly session that they were “free and fair” and “credible and just.”