Comelec to ensure credible, honest 2022 polls

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will closely coordinate and look into the best practices of its Asian counterparts to ensure credible and honest polls in 2022 amid the threat of COVID-19.

Comelec Chair Sheriff Abas said that at the recently concluded Association of Asian Election Authorities (AAEA) meeting, “valuable insights and inputs” were shared among member election management bodies that would help them “ensure the safe conduct of the upcoming 2022 electoral exercise during this time of pandemic.”

“The meeting was a great opportunity for each of the member-countries to share their experiences in their respective environments, the different challenges encountered and, more importantly, the different policies that were put in place in order to meet and overcome those challenges,” Abas said in a statement on Saturday.

Of the 20-member AAEA, three have already conducted their polls despite the health threat posed by COVID-19. These are South Korea, Sri Lanka and Taiwan.

—Jovic Yee