Hun Sen's son appointed PM

PHNOM PENH, Aug 07 (BBC): The eldest son of Cambodia's long-term ruler has been endorsed as the country's next premier in a formality confirming the transition of power. On Monday, Cambodia's king issued a decree stating Hun Manet will succeed Hun Sen, who has ruled for 38 years.
Hun Sen announced he would step down just days after the 23 July election, which critics said was not democratic. His party won all but five seats in parliament, after the main opposition was barred from the vote.
King Norodom Sihamoni issued the royal decree after Hun Sen sent a letter requesting the official note. Hun Manet, 45, who until recently was the commander of the Royal Cambodian Army, has long been groomed for the leadership role.
His appointment still needs to be confirmed by parliament on 22 August, but it is expected to sail through a National Assembly where 120 of 125 seats are controlled by Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party. The appointment follows a dynastic succession plan which had been signposted by Hun Sen for several years.
Hun Manet's new cabinet is expected to include younger faces. Many of the men who rose with Hun Sen through the Khmer Rouge revolution and civil war of the 1970s and 80s have also stepped down, in some cases handing their jobs to their own children.