The Prime Minister has denied rumours of internal problems in his party. Supplied

No split within CPP, Hun Sen insists

Khmer Times | 27 June 2017

Prime Minister Hun Sen has mocked political analysts for suggesting there is an internal split within the ruling CPP, claiming he is the one and only candidate ready to lead the country.

Speaking as he presided over a graduation ceremony at the Royal School of Administration yesterday, Mr Hun Sen said he will continue to work as prime minister for as long as people elect him. 

He added that rumours about splits within the party have been in circulation since the 1980s. 

“I have heard that the CPP is going to split since 1981, but until now it hasn’t happened,” he said.

Responding to the suggestion that CPP could split as a result of internal disputes, Mr Hun Sen said those who circulated the rumours were wrong and no one in the party wants to take over his position. 

“At the age of 32, I became the youngest prime minister in the world,” he said. 

“I am different from other people. If you demand that I give up my position, I won’t. If you want me to hold on to my position, I will let it go.” 

Prominent political analyst Meas Ny said Prime Minister Hun Sen is easily able to obtain information about the armed forces under his control. 

“In the case of any coup, I think it would come from the armed forces controlled by the government,” he added. 

Sam Kuntheamy, executive director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, said: “It’s up to his party. If the party members vote for him to stand as prime minister he will still be the candidate.”  

Mr Hun Sen, who is one of the world’s longest-serving prime ministers, has been in power in various coalitions since 1985. 

He seized power from his then co-prime minister, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, in 1997. 

He was reappointed by parliament in September 2013 for a further five-year term.