MANILA--The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is planning to conduct the 2010 national elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) a month earlier than the rest of the country, an official said Monday.

Comelec chairman Jose Melo said he would like to have early elections in ARMM so that the poll body could keep an eye on the region, dubbed as the country's cheating capital.

“Personally, I am in favor of it so that the concentration of our security forces and the election administration would be focused in the ARMM. If that would be the case, there might be lesser shenanigans there,” Melo said.

Based on a draft of the Comelec's schedule, ARMM elections would be held on April 20, 2010, instead of May 10, 2010.

Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer said on Monday that date was not yet official.