Pre-shading of ballots during BARMM poll ‘not limited’ to Maluso—watchdog
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Tight security measures are in place in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur, as voters participate in the first BARMM Parliamentary Elections on Monday, September 14. The town is classified under the red category of election areas of concern. 📸 Hernel TocmoMANILA — The pre-shading of ballots during the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary poll was “not limited” to Maluso, Basilan, a watchdog said on Wednesday.
During the final report launch of Asian Network for Free Elections-National Democratic Institute (ANFREL-NDI) Technical Assessment Mission, election analyst Amael Vier presented the findings, including the pre-shaded ballot incidents.
“Most concerning, finally, with regard to election day itself, the mission has recorded three instances of pre-shaded ballots in different precincts, indicating here that the practice of pre-shading was not limited to the municipality of Maluso in Basilan,” Vier said.
“That is our own observation. We’re not generalizing the prevalence of such practices but we do want to highlight that this is something that we directly saw,” he added.
The voting in Maluso, Basilan had been postponed to Sept. 15, a day after the BARMM poll following the reported pre-shading of around 16,000 ballots.
The Commission on Elections has been investigating the matter.
Poll body chairman George Garcia previously said individuals proven to be behind the act will face a non-bailable electoral sabotage case.
Moreover, the ANFREL-NDI also flagged incidents of vote buying, overstepping of roles by poll watchers, insufficient enforcement of safeguards protecting ballot secrecy, and illegal campaigning.