In the Philippines, a midterm election will be a duel between the ruling dynasties
The midterm elections, which began this Monday, May 12, in the Philippines, are pitting two major political dynasties against each other: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on one side, and Vice President Sara Duterte, his former ally facing impeachment, on the other. This situation is obscuring issues that are vital to citizens.
It was under oppressive heat that some Filipino voters went to the polls this Monday, May 12. The temperature recorded rose to 45°C in some places. In fact, notes the Philippine Daily Inquirer , 28 areas of the country are experiencing excessive and potentially dangerous temperatures, ranging between 42 and 51°C.
Extreme heat, which, according to the chairman of the Electoral Commission, George Garcia, would explain the malfunctions reported on certain voting machines, writes The Manila Times .
Indeed, at midday, observers from the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), a citizen-led body of the Electoral Commission, reported a significant number of incidents, particularly involving voting machines, as well as irregularities in the number of ballots recorded, but also invalid ballots and long queues, the Philippine Star daily reported .
Moreover, in addition to the heat, the chairman of the Commission on Elections blames, according to the Manila Times , part of the malfunctions on the “increasing number of voters,” leading to the machines being clogged. More than 68 million Filipinos are called to the polls to
Courrier International
