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Thursday, June 07, 2007
Poll body declares failure of polls in Maguindanao
MANILA -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday declared a failure of elections in Maguindanao Province and scheduled special elections on June 20.
Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos said no certificate of canvass (COC) and statement of votes (SOV) from Maguindanao were submitted to the Comelec en banc, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), for canvassing.
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Abalos said they decided to declare a failure of elections in Maguindanao following the failure of the provincial board of canvassers to receive the COC from the municipal board of canvassers.
The Comelec had deferred thrice the canvassing of COC from Maguindanao due to reports of vote tampering and massive fraud during the conduct of the May 14 elections in the province.
The commission likewise suspended canvassing proceedings on Wednesday after the COCs from the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, and
Maguindanao failed to arrive.
Despite the declaration of the failure of elections in Maguindanao and the deferment of the canvassing of votes from the four provinces, Abalos said the proclamation of the top 10 senatorial winners would proceed. The proclamation pushed through at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).
Abalos said since there will be special elections in Maguindanao, these would effectively invalidate the proclamation of the local candidates in the province.
He said Comelec was requiring winners of local elective posts in the province to show up at the Comelec office in Intramuros, Manila on June 11 to for their comments.
Among those who will be summoned are Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan, Congressman Simeon Datumanong, and the mayors. (MSN/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (June 7, 2007 issue)
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