Children of elite set for top spots in Cambodian government

With upcoming change of leader, key posts remain within influential networks

PHNOM PENH -- With incoming Prime Minister Hun Manet front and center, 48 members of Cambodia's ruling elite posed for a photo on the polished stone steps of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) headquarters on Thursday, in what appears to be a look at the Southeast Asian country's new cabinet.

Manet, 45, is being handed the job directly from his 71-year-old father, Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for 38 years. The eldest son's accession, which will become official on Aug. 22, is part of a carefully managed generational transition within the CPP, which is built on familial patronage networks that link the country's wealthy political, business and military elites.

As the creator of and dominant force in this highly personalized system, Hun Sen has been careful to balance competing interests within the party, ensuring that grandees can pass their jobs to their children, or at least secure influential roles for them.

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https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Children-of-elite-set-for-top-spots-in-Cambodian-government