Famous Cambodian Leaders

Perched on the southern portion of Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia, Cambodia is a populous country bordered by Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Gulf of Thailand. Formerly known as Khmer Empire, the country served as the home of first ancient Khmer kingdom. The Kingdom of Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy with an elected monarch as the head of the state. It also has a head of government, who is primarily vested with executive powers and is responsible for the smooth functioning of the country. The political landscape of the country is not a vibrant one – it suffers from lack of political freedom and has mainly an authoritarian kind-of leadership enwrapped over superficial democracy. Hun Sen is the current Prime Minister of Cambodia who has been in the office since 1985. An undisputed ruler, his rule is now in the league with long-running dictators such as Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe and Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazabayev. Interestingly, Hun Sen does not have any political background. In fact, he hails from a peasant family and has become the longest serving non-royal leader in Southeast Asia. Quite unbelievable isn’t it? For more interesting facts about the life of Cambodian political leaders, read on.