Monday 2 April 2007

Purple fingers

Returning to Phnom Penh, we found that everyone has dyed their right
index finger purple. In the tradition known as "throwing the sugar palm"
(បោះ​ត្នោត​) each Cambodian person over the age of 18 casts his or her
vote in the commune elections (Communes, larger than villages, are
somewhat like local governments and are responsible for regulating
various areas of Cambodian life).

Cambodian political life is broken down into various layers: national,
provincial, commune and village.