Voters in rural areas said Monday they had heard Sunday’s national election results, after hours of waiting, from independent radio and TV broadcasts and from rumors and relatives on the telephone.
Hey Sarin, 48, from Oddar Meanchey province’s Samraong City, said he heard the preliminary results Monday morning on Radio Free Asia.
“I listened to Kiri Dong Reak Radio [a local radio station] about the primary result, but I knew that the CPP [Cambodian People’s Party] had won through Morning Report from Radio Free Asia,” he said.
On Sunday night, Information Minister Khieu Kanharith posted on his Facebook page that the CPP had won 68 seats in the National Assembly to the Cambodia National Rescue Party’s (CNRP) 55.
As of Monday evening, no state-owned TV station or newspaper had broadcast or printed the number of seats that each party had won.
Penh Sockhon, 34, who lives in Battambang province’s Samlot commune, said he watched state-owned TVK to get local results, but he only heard of the national election outcome through a rumor.
“I heard through a rumor that it was 68 [seats] to the CPP and 55 [to the CNRP]. I still do not believe that result,” said Mr. Sockhon.
Chum Sophal, 30, who lives in Mondolkiri province’s Bosra village, said he traveled to a relative’s house to watch the results on satellite network DTV because he does not own a radio or TV.
“I saw the CNRP had won in Kompong Cham, Kompong Thom and Phnom Penh,” he said. “They said the CPP won enough seats to run the country.”
Mr. Sophal said Monday that he had still not heard detailed results of the national election.
In Preah Vihear province’s Sa’ang commune, Van Sokha, 35, had to wait to hear the election results from a relative in Phnom Penh who telephoned her to pass on the news.
“I only knew about my commune results…because I did not have radio or TV. My relative in the city had told me that there were burning cars in the city and that the CNRP had won the election,” she said.
