CPP wins 98% of votes
The results are in, less than 24 hours after polling closed. At least the CPP have declared that they have taken 1,593 communes out of 1,621 - around 98% of the vote. That is what all the papers are reporting. The turnout was in the region of 70% - the lowest since the elections under UNTAC. Footloose has an interesting post about why one woman did not vote.
I have mentioned the text message ban but did not know at that stage that the NEC was considering banning all telephone communications. That proposal was shot down. Mobile phone are more important here than in other countries because the landline service is extremely limited. I failed to mention the political ramifications of the text message ban, which Details are Sketchy mentions:
For starters, Khmer fonts for the average telephone are virtually unheard of. But, really, that’s besides the point. The fact is, an overwhelming majority of the Cambodian population is illiterate. And poor. So in practice such a ban would only effect registered voters who also own a telephone and can read English. That’s a pretty small group. Significantly less than 1% of the population. It is, however, exactly the kind of people that vote for Sam Rainsy.
Other details are coming to light now. COMFREL, who are independent election monitors, trained their people to send monitoring information to a database by text. Given that the ban was announced on Friday afternoon, there was little time to prepare another method of information transmission. It is possible that details were lost or are incomplete because of this most unusual move of banning text messages.
Indeed, when the NEC were asked where else in the world are text messages banned before an election, the only answer that they would give is that Cambodia is an independent country and they don't need to follow any other country. Have you ever heard of any other countries banning text messages before an election? I haven't.
Stories were surfacing on Saturday night, of officials knocking on doors and providing rice for votes, prior to the polls opening. The occupant signs away their vote at the door and receives the rice directly. Such stories centre around Phnom Penh. Who can say whether it is true or not? Were votes bought in this way? People voted with ink and a fingerprint so one can see who voted.
There have been no official declarations as to the freedom or fairness of the elections. After all the polls closed yesterday at 3pm. It is interesting that CPP declared its victory before the polls closed and received 98% of the vote.
Details may yet come to light...
Additional sources: The Cambodia Daily and Cambodge Soir
I have mentioned the text message ban but did not know at that stage that the NEC was considering banning all telephone communications. That proposal was shot down. Mobile phone are more important here than in other countries because the landline service is extremely limited. I failed to mention the political ramifications of the text message ban, which Details are Sketchy mentions:
For starters, Khmer fonts for the average telephone are virtually unheard of. But, really, that’s besides the point. The fact is, an overwhelming majority of the Cambodian population is illiterate. And poor. So in practice such a ban would only effect registered voters who also own a telephone and can read English. That’s a pretty small group. Significantly less than 1% of the population. It is, however, exactly the kind of people that vote for Sam Rainsy.
Other details are coming to light now. COMFREL, who are independent election monitors, trained their people to send monitoring information to a database by text. Given that the ban was announced on Friday afternoon, there was little time to prepare another method of information transmission. It is possible that details were lost or are incomplete because of this most unusual move of banning text messages.
Indeed, when the NEC were asked where else in the world are text messages banned before an election, the only answer that they would give is that Cambodia is an independent country and they don't need to follow any other country. Have you ever heard of any other countries banning text messages before an election? I haven't.
Stories were surfacing on Saturday night, of officials knocking on doors and providing rice for votes, prior to the polls opening. The occupant signs away their vote at the door and receives the rice directly. Such stories centre around Phnom Penh. Who can say whether it is true or not? Were votes bought in this way? People voted with ink and a fingerprint so one can see who voted.
There have been no official declarations as to the freedom or fairness of the elections. After all the polls closed yesterday at 3pm. It is interesting that CPP declared its victory before the polls closed and received 98% of the vote.
Details may yet come to light...
Additional sources: The Cambodia Daily and Cambodge Soir
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