{"id":17858,"date":"2024-11-20T07:40:57","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T07:40:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=17858"},"modified":"2024-11-20T07:40:57","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T07:40:57","slug":"national-assembly-approves-foreign-minister-shake-up-reinstates-prak-sokhonn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=17858","title":{"rendered":"National Assembly Approves Foreign Minister Shake-Up, Reinstates Prak Sokhonn"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The National Assembly has approved Prime Minister Hun Manet\u2019s shake-up of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, reinstating Prak Sokhonn as foreign minister, who served under Manet\u2019s father, longtime leader Hun Sen. Out is Sok Chenda Sophea, the incumbent minister of just 15 months.<\/p>\n

A unanimous vote approved the reshuffle with 112 of the 125 lawmakers from the ruling Cambodian People\u2019s Party (CPP) in favor on the morning of November 20.<\/p>\n

Newly ousted minister Sophea took the top diplomatic post in August 2023, when new cabinet ministers were formed under Prime Minister Hun Manet. Over the past year, there have been several ministerial reshuffles prompted by struggling industries<\/a> or governance challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before becoming foreign minister, Sophea was secretary-general of the Council for the Development of Cambodia. Prior to that, he served as undersecretary at the Tourism Ministry in the 1990s after returning from France, where he studied economics and worked.<\/p>\n

Sophea is expected to now take on the role of deputy prime minister.<\/p>\n

Sokhonn served as foreign minister from 2016 to 2023 before being elected vice president of the Senate in April 2024, serving in support of Senate President Hun Sen. Hun Sen took the position after handing the premiership to his son in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sokhonn is expected to step down as Senate vice president after reclaiming the reins of the Foreign Ministry.<\/p>\n

Asia-Pacific geopolitical analyst Seng Vanly told CamboJA News the ministerial shake-up could stem from several factors.<\/p>\n

Sophea\u2019s influence on decision-making for foreign policy \u2013 or the ability to get things done \u2013 remains weaker compared to his predecessor, Prak Sokhonn. Cambodia\u2019s shift towards diversifying economic ties and advancing economic diplomacy has exposed Sophea\u2019s limited effectiveness and his hamstrung position within the political hierarchy, according to Vanly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The government\u2019s push for stronger economic diplomacy was seen as a key factor in Sophea\u2019s appointment, given his expertise in trade, investment, and development.<\/p>\n

\u201cSophea\u2019s diplomatic reach is still limited. Combine this with his position in the Cambodian People\u2019s Party, which offers little decision-making authority, it has made it challenging for him to effectively serve as foreign minister,\u201d Vanly said, adding that Sophea has not introduced significant policy changes.<\/p>\n

Vanly said when Sophea took office, he pledged to implement reforms within the ministry. But those reforms have stalled, hindered by the foreign ministry\u2019s long-standing CPP leadership and Sophea\u2019s struggle to find diplomatic advisors.<\/p>\n

Vanly also highlighted the obstacles facing the foreign minister due to Cambodia\u2019s reputation, including controversies such as cyber scam rings in industrial sectors that have deterred investors. These issues, coupled with allegations of human trafficking and illicit dealings involving high-ranking officials, have complicated efforts to diversify the economy and strengthen diplomatic ties.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if Prak Sokhonn returns with his extensive experience, Cambodia still faces significant challenges,\u201d Vanly concluded. He pointed out ongoing international criticism related to human rights and democratic backsliding, as well as the government\u2019s struggles to address scandals that undermine its credibility on the global stage.<\/p>\n

Ro Vannak, another foreign policy expert and co-founder of the Cambodia Institute for Democracy, shared similar views on the foreign minister\u2019s ability to have \u201cinfluence\u201d within the ruling party.<\/p>\n

Vannak explained that the change was driven by Sokhonn\u2019s stronger political influence and closer ties within the ruling party, which sets him apart from Sophea. He also highlighted Sokhonn\u2019s greater experience, particularly in managing operations and fostering loyalty, which has earned him popularity within the ministry and with the prime minister.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sokhonn\u2019s ability to build a network of loyal supporters gives him an advantage over Sophea, who has yet to implement internal reforms, he said.<\/p>\n

Vannak also believes Sokhonn\u2019s appointment was partly influenced by the recent U.S. presidential election, which saw Donald Trump\u2019s return \u2013 a diplomatic wildcard<\/a> for Cambodia, analysts said.<\/p>\n

Government spokesperson Pen Bona declined to comment on the changes to the foreign minister position, saying only, \u201cI don\u2019t have a comment on this matter.\u201d Foreign Affairs spokesperson Chum Sounry could not be reached, and CPP spokesperson Sok Eysan was also unavailable for comment.<\/p>\n

1 views<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Source: <\/em> politics.einnews.com\u2026<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The National Assembly has approved Prime Minister Hun Manet\u2019s shake-up of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, reinstating Prak Sokhonn as foreign minister, who served under Manet\u2019s father, longtime leader Hun Sen. Out is Sok Chenda Sophea, the incumbent minister of just 15 months. A unanimous vote approved the reshuffle with 112 of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17858\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}