Ung Huot

Ung Huot (Khmer: អ៊ឹង ហួត; born 1 January 1945)^[2] is a Cambodian politician who served from 1997 to 1998 as Prime Minister of Cambodia, alongside Hun Sen. A member of the Funcinpec Party, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Posts and Telecommunications. He later established the Rastra Niyum Party but failed to gain any seats in parliament in 1998.

Life and career

Ung Huot was born in 1945 in Kandal Province. He studied accounting and finance and was awarded a scholarship to study in Australia in 1971, as Cambodia's civil war was beginning. He settled in Melbourne and proclaimed himself a leader of the Cambodian expatriate committee in that city. He moved back to Cambodia in 1991 as the communist government was falling, and became a high-ranking official in the Funcinpec party. He became the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, and in 1994 he left that post to become foreign minister.

In July 1997, Funcinpec leader Norodom Ranariddh, who was serving as first prime minister, was deposed by second prime minister Hun Sen of Funcinpec's rival and coalition partner, the Cambodian People's Party. Hun invited Ung to become first prime minister to replace Ranariddh. Ranariddh's father, King Norodom Sihanouk at first refused to recognize the arrangement, but Ung became first prime minister in August 1997 after being elected by Parliament. Many, particularly within Funcinpec , accused Ung of being a puppet, and he was forced to leave Funcinpec and form his own party, the Reastr-Niyum Party (Populist Party). In the 1998 elections, the Reastr-Niyum Party did not gain any seats in Parliament, and Ung was forced to resign from the posts of first prime minister and foreign minister, leaving Hun to be the sole prime minister.

References

Prime Ministers of Cambodia
Colonial Cambodia 1945–1953	Norodom Sihanouk Son Ngoc Thanh Sisowath Monireth Sisowath Youtevong Sisowath Watchayavong Chhean Vam Penn Nouth Yem Sambaur Sisowath Monipong Oum Chheang Sun Huy Kanthoul
Kingdom of Cambodia 1953–1970	Penn Nouth Chan Nak Norodom Sihanouk Leng Ngeth Khim Tit San Yun Sim Var Ek Yi Oun Pho Proeung Nhiek Tioulong Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum Norodom Kantol Lon Nol Son Sann
Khmer Republic 1970–1975	Lon Nol Sisowath Sirik Matak Son Ngoc Thanh Hang Thun Hak In Tam Long Boret
Democratic Kampuchea 1975–1979	Penn Nouth Khieu Samphan Nuon Chea Pol Pot
People's Republic of Kampuchea and State of Cambodia 1979–1993	Pen Sovan Chan Sy Hun Sen Norodom Ranariddh
Kingdom of Cambodia 1993–present	Norodom Ranariddh Ung Huot Hun Sen