The Ministry of Interior on Friday announced that provincial and municipal governors and deputy governors will now be reshuffled between provinces every eight years in a move that the ministry maintained would help “improve services”.

Speaking at a ceremony in which former Takeo governor Ieng Auny replaced Phnom Penh deputy governor Cham Sam An – who is moving to the Interior Ministry – secretary of state Sak Setha said on Friday that reshuffling governors would allow them to share experience between provinces.

“The power transfer will take place no later than every eight years, and it will be a normal exchange of work and powers between civil servants in order to improve services for people,” Setha said.

But opposition lawmaker-elect Son Chhay said the new system would provide the ruling party with more opportunities for corruption. “The exchange of individual officials in the ruling party comes through bribery and partisanship, and will create more corruption,” he said.