The most anticipated candidate on the ballot in Phnom Penh — and perhaps the whole country — is the Cambodian People’s Party frontrunner Hun Manet, the deputy commander of the armed forces, commander of the army, and Prime Minister Hun Sen’s son. This is Hun Manet’s first time on the ballot, and he is at the top of the CPP’s list of candidates for Phnom Penh. The premier has announced that his eldest son will lead the country once he steps down.

To compete with the premier’s son, 17 minor parties have largely submitted their top leadership to head their lists of candidates to represent Phnom Penh as one of the city’s 12 National Assembly lawmakers. The CPP is, however, expected to win all seats in the absence of its primary opposition contenders.

One top-ranked minor party candidate in Phnom Penh with parliamentary experience is Real Camerin, who was elected to the National Assembly to represent Svay Rieng province in 2013 for the now-defunct Cambodia National Rescue Party. After the party was dissolved in November 2017, Real Camerin was removed from his post and banned from participating in politics for five years, but he requested political rehabilitation in March 2019 to start a new party. About a month later, he established the Khmer Conservative Party. He initially tried to register his party as the “Khmer Empire Party,” but the Interior Ministry refused his request.

Like the CPP, Funcinpec has submitted a son of a prime minister as its top candidate to run for a Phnom Penh seat. The royalist party’s candidate is Norodom Chakravuth, the eldest son of Norodom Ranariddh, who was the prime minister elect in Cambodia’s first restored election in 1993 but ended up sharing the role with Hun Sen. Norodom Chakravuth is also part of the Cambodian royal family.

The Grassroots Democracy Party’s top Phnom Penh candidate is its party president Yeng Virak, who previously worked for the Cambodian Legal Education Center. Yeng Virak was jailed for almost two weeks at the end of 2005 into early 2006 for alleged defamation for holding up posters during an International Human Rights Day demonstration.

Many of the other parties have submitted top leadership, including presidents, vice presidents and secretaries general, as their first-ranked candidates in Phnom Penh. What follows are the names and backgrounds that could be found about Phnom Penh’s top-ranked parliamentary hopefuls.

Beehive Social Democratic Party

Suon Chanthy, 42, previously worked for Beehive Radio.

Cambodian Indigenous Peoples Democracy Party

Saroeun Noeun, 31, has chaired the executive committee of the Cambodian Indigenous Peoples Democracy Party.

Cambodian Nationality Party

Hang Sopanha, 35, ran as a National Assembly candidate in the 2018 election for the Cambodian Nationality Party in Tbong Khmum province.

Cambodian Youth Party

Chean Kosal, 29, is a candidate while finishing a Ph.D. at Cambodia’s University of Indrawichea, according to his Facebook page. Kosal has said in his campaign materials that he hopes to bring more young people to the polls.

Democracy Power Party

Tho Daly, 47, is vice president of the Democracy Power Party.

Dharmacracy Party

Tan Chanpal, 59, serves as deputy chair of the Dharmacracy Party.

Ekpheap Cheat Khmer Party

Touch Chamnan, 35, is the third vice president of the Ekpheap Cheat Khmer Party.

Farmer’s Party

Chan Mithona, 39, is the coordinator of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering department at Norton University.

Funcinpec

Norodom Chakravuth, 53, is the president of the Funcinpec party and the eldest son of Norodom Ranariddh, the late prince and the royalist party’s former president, who died in 2021.

Grassroots Democratic Party

Yeng Virak, 62, is the president of the Grassroots Democratic Party and the former director of the Cambodian Legal Education Center.

Khmer Anti-Poverty Party

Kong Saran, 48, is chair of the party’s provincial executive community, according to a Facebook post from 2018.

Khmer Conservative Party

Real Camerin, 66, is the founder of the Khmer Conservative Party and a former CNRP representative for Svay Rieng Province, who lost his seat after the opposition party was banned.

Khmer Economic Development Party

Chea Rithy, 36, is also secretary general for the Khmer Economic Development Party. 

Khmer National United Party

Tip Teav, 39, is the deputy secretary general for the Khmer National United Party.

Khmer United Party

Man Srey Noeun, 38

People Purpose Party

Ith Sarum, 51, is the president of the People Purpose Party.

Women for Women Party

Hak Saophea, 42

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated the year Real Camerin was elected.