Comelec: Polls fastest, least violent in years

FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the technical glitches that marred this year’s elections, it may prove to be one for the books as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported a voter turnout of 83.11 percent, the lowest number of election-related violence in years and the “swiftest” transmission of election returns.

“I am proud to say that the Commission on Elections has successfully defended the sovereign right of the people to the democratic process of elections,” said Comelec Chair Saidamen Pangarungan in his speech during Wednesday’s proclamation of the 12 winning senators.

The recently concluded elections may prove to be the fastest in transmitting election returns and the highest voter turnout since the country adopted the automated election system in 2010.

“[S]ignificantly, this is an election with a very efficient and flawless Transparency Server that received all election results in record time immediately after voting on Election Day,” he said.

He also noted that there were only 16 election-related violence recorded as compared to 160 violent incidents in the 2019 polls.

The country has also seen its highest voter turnout yet, with 83.11 percent based on the latest canvass report, breaking the previous record of 81.95 percent in the 2016 polls.

In proclaiming the new senators, Pangarungan stressed that the “glory does not belong solely to the winners of the elections,” as he gave credit to voters who stood patiently in line to cast their votes, some of whom had to endure almost 24 hours in some precincts due to malfunctioning vote-counting machines (VCMs) and defective or corrupted secure digital cards.

“Even as we look into the reports of VCM errors and a few other glitches in this election, I trust that the Commission en banc shall continually improve on the election process,” he said.

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