Hun Sen confirmed as Cambodian PM for another 5 years in parliament vote

PHNOM PENH - Cambodia's National Assembly on Thursday confirmed Samdech Techo Hun Sen as prime minister (PM) for another five years after his Cambodian People's Party (CPP) won all parliamentary seats in a July general election.

All 125 CPP lawmakers unanimously voted for him as PM, the position that he has held since 1985.

The National Assembly also approved Hun Sen's new cabinet members for the 2018-2023 term.

According to an official schedule, the 67-year-old PM and his cabinet members will be sworn in on Thursday afternoon at the Royal Palace under the auspices of the nation's King Norodom Sihamoni.

Addressing the assembly after the vote, Hun Sen said it was another historic event for Cambodia and expressed his profound gratitude to all lawmakers for giving a vote of confidence to him and his cabinet members.

He vowed to continue maintaining the country's hard-earned peace and stability and to further develop economy and reduce poverty.

"The new government will work harder to accelerate socio-economic development in all fields and to promote the implementation of deep and broad reforms," he said.

He added that the government would give priority to governance reform so as to strengthen state institutions, to build clean administrations, and to enhance the quality of public services.

Hun Sen said the government would continue raising wages for civil servants, armed forces, and garment factory workers, and, at the same time, lowering the prices of water and electricity.

The PM added that the investment in human capital is also among the top priorities in the new-term government.

According to the official list of Hun Sen-led new cabinet approved by the National Assembly, the cabinet is made up of one PM, 10 deputy PMs, 17 senior ministers, and 29 ministers.

The list showed that the PM kept all old-term ministers in the same positions in the new term.

Experts have strong conviction that the new government would continue maintaining peace and stability and bring more development to the country over the next five years.

"With a better economic policy, it is expected that foreign direct investment (FDI) will continue to flow in, and as the result, the economy will continue to strive," Kalyan, chairman of the state-run Royal University of Phnom Penh's board of trustees, told Xinhua.

"Here, what we need to do more is to promote inclusive growth so that many members of the society will benefit, by mobilizing national skills, resources, and technology, in particular to lift up agriculture and rural economy," he said.

Joseph Matthews, a professor at the Beltei International University in Phnom Penh, believed that Cambodia would continue enjoying peace, stability, and strong economic growth over the next five years under Hun Sen's leadership.

"Under his leadership in previous terms, Cambodia's economy has grown very well, and its annual GDP (gross domestic product) growth is around 7 percent, which is the highest in the region," he said. "I believe that robust growth will continue over the next five years."