(Dan Tri) – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen believes that his eldest son Hun Manet is capable enough to succeed him in a few weeks.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and eldest son Hun Manet (Photo: Reuters).

`In 3 or 4 weeks, Hun Manet can become prime minister. That depends on whether Hun Manet can do it,` Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said in an interview with China’s Phoenix TV channel on June 20.

Mr. Hun Sen has repeatedly publicly stated his support for his eldest son to become the country’s next leader through elections because he believes that General Hun Manet is capable.

Prime Minister Hun Sen and his eldest son are currently two bright candidates of the CPP.

Pre-election polls showed that the CPP could win all 125 seats in the parliament.

Education and military career path

Hun Manet was born in 1977, the eldest son in the family of six children of Prime Minister Hun Sen and his wife Bun Rany.

In addition to his military career, Mr. Hun Manet also has a master’s degree in economics from New York University (USA) and a doctorate degree in economics from Bristol University (UK).

General Hun Manet (Photo: Getty).

Returning to the country after studying abroad, Mr. Hun Manet was appointed Commander of Cambodia’s special anti-terrorism force in 2008.

He is said to have played a prominent role in establishing ceasefire negotiations between Cambodia and Thailand during the four-day armed conflict at Preah Vihear temple in 2011. He was promoted to Major General, then went to China.

Mr. Hun Manet, 46 years old, is holding the position of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army (RCA).

In early April, Mr. Hun Manet was nominated by the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) as a parliamentary candidate in the general election on July 23.

This is considered a move to pave the way for Mr. Hun Manet to become the country’s leader in the future because the Cambodian constitution stipulates that the head of government must be a member of the National Assembly.

In March, Prime Minister Hun Sen said he would choose General Mao Sopahn as the future army commander if General Hun Manet retired from the army to participate in politics.

`I want to emphasize that in the event that General Hun Manet participates in politics, the current deputy commander of the Cambodian army, Lieutenant General Mao Sophan, will succeed, not Lieutenant General Hun Manith,` Prime Minister Hun Sen said.

General Hun Manith, younger brother of Mr. Hun Manet, 41 years old, was appointed deputy army commander on March 17.

Mr. Hun Sen said that his eldest son is capable and deserves to become the future prime minister of Cambodia.

Economic and foreign policy perspectives

Mr. Hun Manet campaigned for the CPP party (Photo: Reuters).

Speaking at an event in April after being nominated as a candidate for the general election, Mr. Hun Manet said that the future foreign policy of the Cambodian government will still be friends with all countries.

`The Government will make every effort to build relations with all countries in the world to serve the interests of the Cambodian nation and people,` General Hun Manet emphasized, reiterating that

Answering the question of whether Cambodia leans more towards China or the West, he said, Cambodia strengthens relations with other countries including China and the West.

`Cambodia has close relationships with China, the US, Japan and other countries. This is the foreign policy of the Cambodian government. We want it like that. Therefore, we will continue to apply the policy

In an interview in 2015, Mr. Manet emphasized that Cambodia must ensure peace, stability and security at all costs.

General Hun Manet, with his image of being highly educated, friendly, and approachable, is considered very popular with young people.

Mr. Anthony Galliano, former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia, commented: `Mr. Hun Manet is interested in how to attract more foreign investment, how for Cambodia to improve its brand and image.