No overseas voting in Baghdad, Damascus, Tripoli due to hostilities

MANILA, Philippines - More than 3,900 Filipino voters in Baghdad, Damascus and Tripoli cannot vote in May 2016 because there will be no elections in these countries due to the continuing hostilities there, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday.

According to Comelec’s Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) Secretariat Maria Juana Valeza, the poll body has approved the OFOV’s recommendations not to hold overseas absentee voting (OAV) in Baghdad, Damascus and Tripoli “due to current evacuation status.”

OFOV came up with the recommendation in consultations with the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Valeza explained the Comelec could not risk the lives of people by holding elections in the three countries.

“As much as we want to hold elections in these areas, we cannot do so… It’s an action in futility if we are going to send ballots there,” she said in an interview. 

“We don’t have manpower complement because our embassies there are closed,” she added.

Records showed there are 173 registered voters in Baghdad, 289 in Damascus and 3,453 in Tripoli, or a total of 3,915 voters.

Comelec to automate 30 posts abroad

The Comelec said yesterday that voting in 30 Philippine posts abroad would be automated, benefitting more than 1.1 million overseas absentee voters.

In an interview, Commissioner Arthur Lim said the Comelec had approved the recommendation of the OFOV to adopt the automated election system in 30 of the 85 Philippine posts.