PHNOM PENH: A photo of Prime Minister Hun Sen going to the polls 30 years ago was bought at an auction by the daughter of the Minister of Culture and gifted to the Prime Minister.

He posted the photo on his Telegram channel with the message, “This photo was taken by a foreign journalist on May 24, 1993, when my wife and I went to the polls in Kampong Cham, while the UNTAC election was held. This photo was put up for auction in France, where my niece Chheng Nipon, daughter of Culture Minister Pheung Sakona, bought it and then gave it to me on her wedding day”.

The Prime Minister and his wife thanked Chheng Nipon for giving her energy and money toward bidding on this rare photo and handing it over to him. He added, "It’s only been 30 years since 1993, when I was 41 years old and my wife was 39 years old."

Cambodia held its first elections in 1993, organized by the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). So far, Cambodia has had six National Assembly elections, while the seventh will be held on July 23, 2023.