All logos, numbers or signs emblematic of party affiliation are forbidden at polling stations on Election Day, according to a directive released yesterday by the National Election Committee.

Party representatives and observers are allowed within eyesight of the ballot box, said the directive, which instructs them to stand behind the deputy chief and secretary of each station.

Government officials insist order will be maintained despite a frenzied lead-up. Some 5,000 members of the police force and 500 traffic police will be deployed the day of and the day after elections to staunch any possible violence in the capital, Municipal Police Chief Choun Sovann said.