PHNOM PENH, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Election official here on Sunday billed the polling day for the kingdom's second ever commune councils election as "victorious," as record-high voters joined the process in a peaceful way.
"The current percentage is a victory for our country and NEC's arrangements," Tep Nitha, secretary general of the National Election Committee (NEC), told a press conference held at its headquarters, while mentioning that nearly 70 percent of 7,799,371registered voters cast their ballots at 14,428 polling stations nationwide from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The voting rate was down, while the total number of voters up, compared to the first commune councils election in 1997, when about 4.5 million voters were registered and the participation rate stood at 86 percent, he said.
The final official results will be released on April 24, he added.
During the polling day, said Nitha, no violence occurred and NEC altogether received 11 complaints, such as use of wrong stamps for election sheets and inking of wrong hands.
Early on Sunday in a polling station in Kandal province, Minister of Planning Chhay Than told Xinhua that "the election is very important for the Cambodian people in the process of basic democracy, liberty and share of power from the top to the bottom."
"This time people have their will to choose their local authorities that they like," he added.
While queuing at the same polling station, Meoung Vesna, 45, told Xinhua that he will vote for those serving the people's benefit and not making business to the people's disadvantage.
Ra Mony, 40, told Xinhua that she, as an experienced voter, will try to elect a commune council that can help develop the local community.
Along with other voters, Prime Minister Hun Sen cast his ballot in Kandal, without making any remarks, obviously in an attempt to highlight his compliance with the rule that prime minister is not allow to speak during the voting day in order to avoid any imparity.
Late on Sunday, the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) declared that it won in some 20 to 22 percent of all the communes, while the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) admitted its loss in about 20 percent of all the communes.
Other participating parties have not confirmed their results yet.
Sokhuy Zhong, chief reporter of Cambodia's Chinese-language newspaper the Jian Hua Daily, told Xinhua that CPP is widely expected to score a landslide victory, while SRP has the potential to become the runner-up ahead of the co-ruling Funcinpec Party and the newly-established Norodom Ranariddh Party.
"The other parties are just small shooters, weighing unnoticeably in the process," he added.
According to official statistics, 102,266 candidates from 12 political parties competed for 11,353 seats in 1,621 communes nationwide in the election.
This has been the second ever commune councils election since the Kingdom of Cambodia was established in 1993. It lays the groundwork for the general election in 2008, which will elect the fourth ever government of the country.
"The current percentage is a victory for our country and NEC's arrangements," Tep Nitha, secretary general of the National Election Committee (NEC), told a press conference held at its headquarters, while mentioning that nearly 70 percent of 7,799,371registered voters cast their ballots at 14,428 polling stations nationwide from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The voting rate was down, while the total number of voters up, compared to the first commune councils election in 1997, when about 4.5 million voters were registered and the participation rate stood at 86 percent, he said.
The final official results will be released on April 24, he added.
During the polling day, said Nitha, no violence occurred and NEC altogether received 11 complaints, such as use of wrong stamps for election sheets and inking of wrong hands.
Early on Sunday in a polling station in Kandal province, Minister of Planning Chhay Than told Xinhua that "the election is very important for the Cambodian people in the process of basic democracy, liberty and share of power from the top to the bottom."
"This time people have their will to choose their local authorities that they like," he added.
While queuing at the same polling station, Meoung Vesna, 45, told Xinhua that he will vote for those serving the people's benefit and not making business to the people's disadvantage.
Ra Mony, 40, told Xinhua that she, as an experienced voter, will try to elect a commune council that can help develop the local community.
Along with other voters, Prime Minister Hun Sen cast his ballot in Kandal, without making any remarks, obviously in an attempt to highlight his compliance with the rule that prime minister is not allow to speak during the voting day in order to avoid any imparity.
Late on Sunday, the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) declared that it won in some 20 to 22 percent of all the communes, while the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) admitted its loss in about 20 percent of all the communes.
Other participating parties have not confirmed their results yet.
Sokhuy Zhong, chief reporter of Cambodia's Chinese-language newspaper the Jian Hua Daily, told Xinhua that CPP is widely expected to score a landslide victory, while SRP has the potential to become the runner-up ahead of the co-ruling Funcinpec Party and the newly-established Norodom Ranariddh Party.
"The other parties are just small shooters, weighing unnoticeably in the process," he added.
According to official statistics, 102,266 candidates from 12 political parties competed for 11,353 seats in 1,621 communes nationwide in the election.
This has been the second ever commune councils election since the Kingdom of Cambodia was established in 1993. It lays the groundwork for the general election in 2008, which will elect the fourth ever government of the country.
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