Duterte urged to appoint Comelec chief

The poll watchdog group Kontra Daya has urged President Duterte to appoint a new chair for the Commission on Elections (Comelec) who will ensure the honesty and integrity of future electoral exercises.

It said the next poll chief should be a “person of known probity and integrity.”

“The bottom line is clear: We need a Comelec chair who is the direct opposite of Bautista if we want to ensure clean and honest elections in 2019 and beyond,” said convenor professor Danilo Arao.

Arao made the remarks following Bautista’s move to step down from office on Monday night.

On Tuesday, the Comelec en banc designated poll commissioner Christian Robert Lim as the acting chair until Mr. Duterte appoints a new Comelec chair.—JULIE M. AURELIO