Cambodia PM Hun Sen steps down and hands over power to son

Hardline leader announces end of four-decade rule after his party’s landslide victory in election

Cambodia’s authoritarian leader, Hun Sen, has said that he will resign and hand power to his eldest son, after ruling the country for almost four decades.

Under Hun Sen, political opponents have been imprisoned, forced into exile and their parties banned. Just days ago his party claimed a landslide victory after running virtually unopposed in an election that was widely expected to be his last before the succession.