PHNOM PENH: This year, the National Election Committee (NEC), spent nearly $1 million on ink to be used in the upcoming election on July 23. In Cambodia, voters dip their index finger in semi-permanent ink to prevent people from voting twice.

NEC Chairman Prach Chan presented the long-lasting ink during a meeting on the morning of July 6. He said that 52,000 bottles of ink were bought from India, at a price tag of $910,000. Each 70ml bottle cost just under $18 and is valid for 6 months after opening.

He confirmed that Cambodian representatives had visited the production site of the hand-dipped ink directly in India. According to the chairman, the indelible election ink will be distributed to all 23,789 voting stations, with each one receiving two bottles.

NEC Secretary-General Tep Nytha confirmed that the ink fades from purple to black, is durable and cannot be easily washed off with any available hand soap or bathroom cleaners. He explained that the indelible ink was used to prove that the people had already voted so that they could not commit election fraud by voting twice.

In this year’s election 9,710,655 people are on the national voter list, including 5,161,909 women. The election campaign season runs until July 21 and election day will be held July 23, 2023.