Poll anger simmers in Kandal

Two weeks ago, Kandal erupted. Skirmishes broke out at multiple polling stations where voters were left off the list, and at least one was forced to shut down as locals blocked what they claimed were outsiders from voting. In the end, this hotly contested province swung for the first time. The CPP garnered only 40 per cent of the vote to the CNRP’s 56 per cent, and won just five of 11 seats, based on preliminary NEC figures. Less than 20 kilometres away from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s home in Takhmao town lies the epicentre of much of the election day unrest. In Sa’ang district, every village in some communes went to the opposition. And as local authorities struggle to cope with the loss, some villagers claim they’re bearing the brunt. “The village chiefs are angry because they paid a lot of money and the results weren’t very good,” Tat Samoun said with a laugh. The 66-year-old opposition commune councillor in Sa’ang Phnom has spent the better part of the past two weeks calming agitated villagers. In Tanou village, where Samoun has lived nearly his whole life, “the village chief comes through here and shouts, ‘Why did the CNRP win? A lot of people voted number four.’” “The previous election was won by the CPP, this one went to the CNRP,” he said. All told, the opposition won by some 2,000 votes in this commune of 10,000 voters, according to Samoun. …

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/poll-anger-simmers-kandal