Throne Council to decide King Sihanouk's successor

Cambodia's Senate yesterday approved the formation of a committee to pick a successor to King Norodom Sihanouk, who stunned the nation last week by announcing he was quitting the throne.

Forty-nine of the 51 lawmakers present in the upper house adopted the legislation to establish a Throne Council to select a new monarch, which follows unanimous approval by the National Assembly last week.

The legislation must be sent to a constitutional review board before it can be signed into law by the acting head of state, Chea Sim. It was unclear when the process, considered a formality, would be completed.

The move came after Sihanouk said his son, Prince Norodom Sihamoni, was ready to accept the kingship to resolve the political crisis set off by the 81-year-old monarch's decision to abdicate.

The pledge came in a letter read on Cambodian state-run television on Sunday, hours after Prime Minister Hun Sen said lawmakers must quickly find a new king or risk undermining the constitutional monarchy, and being forced to replace it with a republic.

Stabilizing

Sihanouk has often been at odds with Hun Sen, but the monarch has long been seen as a stabilizing figure amid Cambodia's turbulence. Most Cambodians consider him as being akin to a god-king, so any threat to the monarchy might cause public unrest.

The deadline for picking a new king is Thursday, a week after Sihanouk declared his abdication, Hun Sen said, referring to the legislation which says a new king must be selected seven days after the current king "dies, retires or abdicates."

Sihanouk, who turns 82 at the end of the month, stunned the country with his announcement.

In a letter dated Oct. 10 and posted on his official Web site, he rejected pleas for him to retain the throne, saying his replacement was necessary "to avert any turmoil that would be a good opportunity for some individuals and parties to recreate a republic."

Sihanouk was ousted in 1970 by a pro-US Cambodian elite, who then turned the country into a republic. The move spawned rampant corruption and misrule and led to a bitter civil war that ended with the victory of the genocidal Khmer Rouge communists.

Sihanouk has been overseas since January, mostly in Beijing, where he has a house. He has stayed away from home to receive healthcare and to protest the Cambodian leaders' failure to solve numerous social and economic problems.

Suitable

Sihanouk's letter from Beijing said the 51-year-old Sihamoni -- better known for his ballet than political skills -- would make a suitable king because he is "a neutral person not engaged in politics and nonpartisan."

Sihamoni did not want to be king, Sihanouk said, but would take the job if selected by the Throne Council, made up of political and Buddhist leaders. Sihanouk vowed to help him "so that he can fulfill his duty successfully as a king for the nation and the people, like me, his father."