PHNOM PENH: Spokesperson of the National Election Committee (NEC), Hang Puthea held a press conference this morning where he said that the NEC has spent more than $50 million on the upcoming 2023 national election.

Hang Puthea confirmed that the NEC had purchased 52,000 bottles of non-abrasive ink from India, which had arrived at the NEC's warehouse and was to be distributed to election stations throughout the capital and provinces. Cambodians dip their index fingers in ink to show that they have voted.

The spokesperson said that in the past people could only vote by ticking the box for their favorite party, but this year, the NEC will allow the box to be marked with any sign that doesn’t reveal the voter’s identity such as a plus sign, an ‘x’ or a check. Signatures, names, numbers or fingerprints will not be acceptable forms of selecting a party on the ballot.

According to Hang Puthea, the NEC has printed more than 13 million ballots, which will be delivered to the provinces on July 18. A total of 9,710,655 people are eligible to vote on July 23. The country has designated a total of 23,789 voting stations.

The Royal Government has urged the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Justice to amend the constitution by creating a new election law, which forbids those who do not vote from running for office in the future, which the Prime Minister says is a violation of the right to vote. Voting is not legally required in Cambodia.

Prime Minister Hun Sen released a voice message on June 12, saying, "People can vote or not, that is their right; but for those who want to run for office, it is necessary to vote yourself before you run in an election.” He emphasized that anyone not voting in this year’s election will not be allowed to run in future elections at any government level under his proposed law.