Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen has dismissed foreign criticism that he continues to exert influence over his son, Prime Minister Hun Manet, and the ruling Cambodian People’s Party’s leadership. Speaking at a school inauguration in Kandal province on February 11, he asserted that government leaders must follow the party’s established direction but denied interfering in his son’s decisions.

Hun Sen argued that elected leaders operate within a set political framework, citing South Korea as an example of leadership bound by public expectations. While he maintained that younger leaders must govern independently, he stated that advice would only be given if requested. His remarks reaffirm the party’s firm control over Cambodia’s political landscape.

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