38 years of Prime Minister Hun Sen's leadership of Cambodia

Having taken power at the age of 32, Prime Minister Hun Sen has, over the past nearly four decades, led Cambodia from a dark period to stability and development.

On July 26, Hun Sen announced he would not continue as Prime Minister of Cambodia, and his son, Hun Manet, will lead the new government within the next three weeks. Hun Sen is expected to be appointed Chairman of the Royal Council, a nine-member body responsible for selecting the King of Cambodia.

Prime Minister Hun Sen affirmed that his resignation was aimed at building a long-term stable foundation for the country's development, emphasizing that he would not interfere in Hun Manet's future work. This decision also marks the end of nearly four decades in power, during which he guided Cambodia through many challenges.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen speaking in Brussels, Belgium, in December 2022. Photo: Reuters

Hun Sen was born in 1952 in Peam Koh Sna village, Stung Trang district, Kompong Cham province. Due to poverty, he left his hometown for Phnom Penh and lived in a Buddhist temple so he could attend Lycée Indra Dhevi.

During the Cambodian civil war, he became a guerrilla fighter and gradually embarked on a political career. In 1975, the Pol Pot genocidal regime seized power and implemented policies of forced relocation of urban residents to rural areas, torture, mass executions, and forced labor, leading to widespread malnutrition and disease throughout the country.

Prime Minister Hun Sen once recounted that at the time he "had nothing left but his bare hands and was waiting for death," so he decided to go to Vietnam with a number of patriotic Cambodian officials on June 20, 1977, to express the Cambodian people's desire for assistance.

He stated that, based on the domestic and international political situation at the time, only Vietnam was capable of providing assistance. Responding to the call of the Cambodian National United Front for National Salvation, Vietnam helped the Cambodian revolutionary armed forces liberate the nation from genocide.

The Vietnamese volunteer army fought side-by-side with the revolutionary armed forces and people of Cambodia in numerous campaigns and battles in various provinces, cities, and localities, and on January 7, 1979, completely liberated the capital Phnom Penh.

Prime Minister Hun Sen emphasized that without the "journey to overthrow the genocidal Pol Pot regime" that began on June 20, 1977, and the events that followed, Cambodia could not be where it is today.

Following the fall of the Pol Pot regime, as a member of the Cambodian National United Front for Salvation, Hun Sen was appointed Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of Cambodia (PRK) at the young age of 27. In 1985, he was elected Prime Minister by the National Assembly after the death of his predecessor, Chan Sy.

At the age of 32, Hun Sen became the world's youngest prime minister at the time, and he has repeatedly expressed pride in this achievement.

At the inauguration of a pagoda in Phnom Penh in April, Hun Sen said he had "broken the Guinness World Record" for his political career, having spent four decades as prime minister and 44 years serving in the government.

"My first record was becoming the youngest foreign minister, my second was the honor of being the youngest prime minister, and finally, I was the longest-serving prime minister in the world," he said.

In 1993, Hun Sen and his party, now the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), participated in a UN-supervised election. The royalist FUNCINPEC party, led by Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the eldest son of King Norodom Sihanouk, won more votes, but Hun Sen retained his leadership as the second prime minister, sharing power with Prince Ranariddh, who held the position of first prime minister.

The CPP still retained much of its political advantage at that time, especially in rural areas of Cambodia.

In the 1998 elections, the CPP won a majority of seats in parliament and formed a coalition government with Hun Sen as Cambodia's sole Prime Minister, ending a period of the country having two prime ministers. Prince Ranariddh was then elected Speaker of Parliament.

Hun Sen signed the Paris Peace Accords on October 23, 1991, ending 21 years of civil war in Cambodia. Photo: AFP

In the 2003 national elections, the CPP once again took the lead, and Hun Sen continued to serve as Prime Minister in July 2004.

In 2008, the CPP continued its winning streak in the general election, securing three-quarters of the seats in parliament, which helped Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

"Without the support of the people, no one, no matter how powerful, could hold power for so long," he said.

On the final day of campaigning, July 21, around 60,000 CPP supporters gathered in a central square in Phnom Penh from early morning to hear a speech by Hun Manet, the son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who will succeed him.

Hun Sen shakes hands with supporters in 1997. Photo: Reuters

Ly Chanthy, who braved the torrential rain to watch Hun Manet's parade through the capital, said she still vividly remembers the dark days under the Pol Pot genocide regime and will forever be grateful to Prime Minister Hun Sen, as well as being happy to support his son.

"I will vote for the CPP until I die," the 58-year-old woman said. "I will never forget that he saved our lives from the Pol Pot regime."

Vu Hoang (According to CNA, Phnom Penh Post, Britannica )

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