Comelec to proclaim winning senators, party-lists simultaneously
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, will proclaim winners of senatorial and party-list races simultaneously, the poll body’s spokesperson said Friday.
In a press briefing, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said the move is seen as “more efficient [and] better for everyone.
“One of the directions we’re going is one proclamation for both Senate and party-list winners. So we cannot rush because we still need to compute [votes] in party-list race,” Jimenez said in a mix of English and Filipino.
During the 2016 elections, Comelec proclaimed the country’s new set of senators on the afternoon of May 19, while the winners of the party-list race were proclaimed on the evening.
The Comelec spokesperson also said winners could be proclaimed as early as Sunday but the date is not yet final.
“Sunday is too tentative. As a heads up, it’s a reasonable window but not confirmed yet,” Jimenez said.
There have been calls for the suspension of proclamation for national candidates amid allegations of electoral fraud and irregularities that put into question the credibility of May midterm polls.
Jimenez on Wednesday said proclamation of winning candidates cannot be suspended based on unsubstantiated allegations of anomalies.
“There was a problem with small part of the process but it would not affect the integrity of the results,” he said. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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