Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Cambodia’s parliament on Wednesday approved ex-ruler Hun Sen’s youngest son as a deputy prime minister, the latest member of the family to be promoted since the former leader handed the reins to his eldest son Hun Manet.

Hun Sen stepped down in August after nearly four decades of ruling Cambodia with an iron fist, handing power to Hun Manet following a landslide win in national polls held without any significant opposition parties.

The government, formed by Hun Manet last year, now includes a number of relatives, with several children of Hun Sen’s allies also holding top jobs.

All 120 lawmakers, including Hun Sen, endorsed 41-year-old civil service minister Hun Many as a deputy PM on Wednesday at the request of Hun Manet. There are ten other deputy PMs already serving.

Hun Manet told lawmakers the promotion of his youngest brother was in line with the need to achieve the “highest efficiency of the government’s policy”, with his goal to turn Cambodia into a high-income country by 2050.

Among the ten other deputy PMs is Hun Sen’s nephew Neth Savoeun, a former national police chief.

Hun Sen’s second son Hun Manith, 42, is the head of the defence ministry’s military intelligence unit and a deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Army.

After coming to power in 1985, Hun Sen helped modernise a country devastated by civil war and genocide.

Critics say his rule has also been marked by environmental destruction, entrenched graft and the elimination of nearly all political rivals.

Hun Sen is set to become the president of the Senate following a senators’ election on Sunday.

by Agence France-Presse