The prime minister position does not need a term limit, but should preclude dual citizenship, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday.

His remarks were apparently a reference to calls from the opposition, whose leader, Sam Rainsy, has a French passport, for term limits.

If the prime minister candidate doesn't "dare" to relinquish a second nationality "how can people trust him?" Hun Sen asked, during a speech. "When there is a problem, he runs overseas."

"I'm a Khmer," Sam Rainsy said after the remarks. "I love my country. I want to serve the Khmer people as someone who has education from a developed country, has knowledge and experience from developed countries, and has come back to serve the Khmer interest. It's better than some of those who are serving foreign interests because they owe them."