The National

Election Committee (NEC) will produce 58,000 ballots for the upcoming

municipal, provincial and district council elections to be held on May

17. The country's 11,353 commune councillors will vote to fill the

posts. NEC member Em Sophat told reporters Tuesday that the body would

print a surplus of ballots, as it was worried that "some voters might

tick the wrong box of the ballot or the ballot might be destroyed". He

said the election would cost the NEC US$1.4 million, which the

government is funding. The election is part of the decentralisation

drive and will help link commune councils with the National Assembly.