PHNOM PENH, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's National Election Committee (NEC) on Tuesday drew random numbers for political party positions on election ballots, with the ruling party taking the last spot among the 20 parties contesting in the forthcoming national poll.
The draw was conducted under the presidency of Great Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong, leader of the Mohanikaya Buddhist sect, and Supreme Patriarch Bou Kry, head of the Thammayut Buddhist sect.
Participants also include representatives of political parties, non-governmental organizations and donors.
According to the result, the Khmer National United Party of ex-Deputy Prime Minister Nhek Bun Chhay will appear first on the ballots, the Grassroots Democracy Party of agronomist Yang Saing Koma No. 7, the Funcinpec Party of Prince Norodom Ranariddh No. 13, and the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen No. 20.
Usually, political parties can campaign by using the numbers to earn votes.
Hun Sen said on his Facebook page that the CPP's No. 20 at the bottom spot of the ballots would be "easy for the voters to recognize."
The Southeast Asian nation is scheduled to hold a national election for the 125-seat parliament on July 29, 2018. NEC's Chairman Sik Bun Hok said 20 political parties will contest in the election, which will see some 8.3 million people cast their ballots.
According to the NEC, the three-week election campaign will start from July 7 to 27.
In the last election on July 28, 2013, eight political parties joined the race. As a result, the CPP won 68 seats against 55 seats for the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in the then-123-seat parliament.
The CNRP was dissolved by the Supreme Court in November last year after its leader Kem Sokha was arrested in September last year and charged with treason for conspiring with a foreign power in an attempt to overthrow the government.
