Comelec sets accreditation rules for political parties in 2016

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has set the guidelines on how it will determine the political parties that will be accredited as dominant majority and dominant minority in the forthcoming May 2016 national and local polls.

The poll body said it will accept petitions not later than Nov. 9 for the dominant majority party, dominant minority party, 10 major national parties, and two major local parties in the next elections.

“A political party duly registered with the Commission may file a verified petition for accreditation,” said Comelec Resolution No. 9984.

According to the resolution, the criteria to be used by the commission shall be based on the established record of the said parties, coalition or groups that now compose them, taking into account, among other things, their showing in past elections and the number of incumbent elective officials belonging to them on the last day of the filing of certificate of candidacy.

The Comelec would also look into the parties’ identifiable political organizations and strengths as evidenced by their organized chapters; the ability to field a complete slate of candidates from the municipal level to the position of the president; and other analogous circumstances that may determine their relative organizations and strengths.

Those that will be designated as dominant majority party and dominant minority party shall be entitled to get copies of election returns (ERs) to be produced by the voting machines, receive electronically-transmitted precinct results, get the copies of the certificates of canvass (COCs), and assign official watchers in every polling places and canvassing centers.

For the 10 major national parties, they shall be entitled to get copies of ERs and COCs, and official watchers; while copies of ERs and COCs shall also be allocated to the two major local parties.

The parties should file their petition at the clerk of the commission along with a filing and legal research fee of P10,100.

During the May 2013 elections, the Liberal Party (LP) was declared as the dominant majority party while the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) was ruled as the dominant minority party.

Only four were designated as major national parties, namely the Nacionalista Party (NP), Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (LAKAS-CMD), and National Unity Party (NUP) due to lack of petitioners. Tina G. Santos/RC