‘Overvoting’ allegations cast shadow over Philippines' midterm election

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Philippines' midterm elections were marred by technical failures and allegations of "overvoting," raising concerns among international observers and civil society groups.

The International Observer Mission (IOM) noted in a statement that this election has witnessed "severe voter disenfranchisement due to malfunctioning automated counting machines (ACMs), reports of ballots being wrongly read as overvotes, effectively nullifying valid votes, and a troubling, unexplained software update on the machines."

Observers also reported instances of vote-buying and election-related violence.

"We've observed a disturbing pattern: escalating violence, red-tagging of candidates and supporters, and coordinated disinformation against progressive voices," said Colleen Moore, IOM commissioner and Peace with Justice director at the General Board of Church and Society.

The Philippine electoral body denied on Tuesday allegations of discrepancies between partial and unofficial results, some of which were reported to differ by up to five million votes.

The Commission on Elections attributed the perceived inconsistencies to difficulties in processing and displaying official data by media platforms, according to the Inquirer.

Although official results have yet to be released, with over 97% of the votes counted so far, President Marcos' sister Imee Marcos has a good chance of being reelected to the Senate.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte, detained at the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity, reclaimed the mayoral seat in Davao City, further strengthening the influence of his political family in the southern Philippines.