(UPDATE) THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has completed printing the ballots for the Oct. 13 Bangsamoro parliamentary elections after briefly suspending the process to assess the impact of a last-minute redistricting law.
Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said over the weekend that the suspension was prompted by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority’s approval of a measure redrawing district boundaries and redistributing seven seats originally assigned to Sulu province.
Sulu, however, was excluded from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) following a 2024 Supreme Court ruling. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. later placed the island province under the administrative jurisdiction of Region 9, or the Zamboanga Peninsula.
The printing resumed on Aug. 27 at the National Printing Office in Quezon City after the Comelec, meeting in executive session, ruled that implementing the new law at this stage would derail the election calendar.
“The elections on Oct. 13 will push through, but only 73 of the 80 parliamentary seats will be contested,” said Laudiangco, noting that the redistricting law would disqualify some candidates and require new ballot templates — changes that could not be accommodated without delaying the polls., This news data comes from:http://www.jyxingfa.com
Laudiangco added that the amendments to the Bangsamoro Electoral Code could instead take effect in the 2028 elections.
The issue of Sulu’s seven parliamentary seats remains unresolved. Options include filling them through presidential appointment or special elections, but Laudiangco stressed that these will not affect the October vote.
Ballots for oct 13 BARMM polls completed – Comelec
Roughly 2.3 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots in what will be BARMM’s first regular parliamentary elections since its creation in 2019 under the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
The polls will end the interim rule dominated by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and are regarded as a milestone in consolidating peace in a region long scarred by armed conflict.
- Gasoline, diesel price hikes seen next week
- Maduro hits ‘illegal’ US troops deployment
- Venezuela deploys warships, drones as US destroyers draw near
- Putin facing mounting pressure from the West
- China displays its weaponry in a tightly controlled military parade
- DILG to roll out nationwide unified 911 hotline on Sept. 11
- ‘Lannie’ to bring rain over NLuzon, southwest monsoon to affect Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa —Pagasa
- Comelec upholds cancelation of Duterte Youth registration
- Israeli army: Gaza City now 'a dangerous combat zone'
- Bonoan resigned due to command responsibility — Marcos
