‘Why would I vote?’: Cambodians quietly question election’s value

A Cambodian Buddhist monk votes during the country's last national election in 2018 [File: Manan Vatsyayana/AFP]

Phnom Penh, Cambodia – “I won’t go to vote,” said Sovanny*, describing how she felt crushed earlier this year when Cambodia’s only credible opposition party was disqualified from elections.

“Why would I vote when there’s only one party?” the 45-year-old street food vendor said of the national election in Cambodia. “It’s a waste of time.