Senator Imee Marcos on Wednesday said the 2022 national and local elections will not be derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic, echoing President Rodrigo Duterte’s assurance there won’t be a postponement of the polls.
The chair of the Senate electoral reforms and peoples’ participation committee said she “remains undeterred in finding the right pandemic-related measures to ensure next year’s elections will be safe for voters and poll watchers.”
As of January 19, the International Foundation for Election Systems recorded 116 election events postponed in 69 countries and eight territories.
Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, and the UK are some of the states that decided to put off local, municipal or legislative elections in 2020 and rescheduled them for this year.
“We must strive to be like South Korea which succeeded last April in holding elections that were safe even with a higher voter turnout,” Marcos said.
“Early planning and preparation for the elections with a pandemic scenario in mind will prevent a super spreader event and minimize challenges to the legitimacy of election results,” she pointed out.
The lack of election infrastructure and planning to ensure the health and safety of voters remains “worrisome,” Marcos said, citing the predicament of seniors, persons with disability, pregnant women, and indigenous peoples.
She added that many teachers who will serve as poll inspectors are above 60 years old and are at higher risk of contracting Covid-19.
“We can’t wait for vaccines to arrive and mass immunization to begin before planning for crucial elections. Sourcing additional funding and putting in place pandemic-related measures will take time,” Marcos explained.
Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)
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