Cambodia’s National Election Committee (NEC) gathered to organise and set up polling stations on Saturday a day ahead of the country’s general election, in which about 9.7 million out of its 16 million population are eligible to vote.

In Phnom Penh’s Chaktomuk High School, NEC members turned classrooms into polling stations with election signs, banners, and voting booths.

The national election committee chairman for Chaktomuk school polling station, Soundbite Seth, told the media that they manage the polling booths as usual and follow the plan given by the National Election Committee (NEC). “The voting secret boxes are being put a bit far away and no one, including the observers, can see the voter tick the ballot paper, except the secretary who helps voters check their names against their ID, that all are correct, and this is done openly to make sure they vote only one time.”

Polling stations will open on Sunday (July 23) from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. and a preliminary result is expected in the evening.

Aside from the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Hun Sen, there are 17 parties running, but most are obscure and none have the clout or resources to mount a challenge to the CPP, which won all 125 seats assembly seats in the 2018 election. A repeat of that is expected.

By Reuters