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Friday, March 29, 2024

Pandemic will not result in cancellation of 2022 polls — Comelec

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An official of the Commission on Elections on Monday said it is unlikely that the May 2022 elections on a national scale will be cancelled if the COVID-19 pandemic worsens.

“Unlikely, because when we say we cancel elections that means the conditions for free and fair elections don’t exist,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in a press conference.

“When you have a surge, that is not the case. People have to be extra careful, yes, but not losing the possibility of free and fair elections. So, it is unlikely that we would not hold the elections,” he added.

Jimenz said cancellations might happen in an area, but “certainly not on a national scale.”

“Remember you are also talking about a nationwide election that is synchronized across the entire nation. What may be possible is that in one location, if all of your BEIs (Board of Election Inspectors) were infected by COVID-19, and you cannot replace them, then it’s possible to cancel the polls but only in that area,” he said.

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“So area cancellations are still possible. Isolated cases can be taken into consideration but nationwide cancellation, unlikely. It’s not nationwide. In places where the election will continue, it will continue,” Jimenez added.

He said the new variant, called Omicron, will not substantially affect preparations for next year’s elections.

“Not really. We will adjust accordingly,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Comelec will be holding mock polls in several places in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao on December 29 in preparation for next year’s elections.

“We will have an end-to-end demonstration of the whole process. We will test on how accurate, true and secure the (voting) process,” Comelec Deputy Executive Director for Operations Teofisto Elnas Jr. said in an online forum conducted by election watchdog group National Citizens for Free Elections (Namfrel).

Elnas said the results will be counted, transmitted and received in different destinations.

“This is where we would be able to test our VCMs (vote counting machines), from the start, opening until voting, consolidation of results, then printing of election returns and also the printing of the voting receipts,” he added.

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