Philippines: Bangsamoro adopts electoral code

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Bangsamoro has formally adopted an electoral code, seen as another step toward cementing the foundation for the establishment of an autonomous region in the southern Philippines.

Murad Ebrahim, chief executive of the Muslim-majority region, told Anadolu over the phone on Thursday that the Bangsamoro parliament "finally adopted the election code" late Wednesday night.

"The bill was adopted around 12 last night (1600GMT) last night," he said.

The regional government is run by Bangsamoro Transitional Authority (BTA), led by Ebrahim, who was elected as the first chief minister in Feb. 2019 and reappointed last August for a second term until 2025, when the first elections are scheduled.

Ebrahim said the electoral code was passed during an extended session of the 80-member parliament.

“There was no objection, and 67 (lawmakers) voted for with no abstention or opposition,” he said, adding that several lawmakers were not present during the session because “they were either out of the country or not available.”

In 2018, a decades-long insurgency by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) led to peace negotiations with the Philippines government, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) was formed in the southern Philippines.

The Bangsamoro parliament has 41 MILF nominees, while the remaining 39 are picked by the national government in Manila.

“We got the majority,” Ebrahim said of the electoral code.

The chief minister said work is still going on two other codes, one for local governance and another for revenue.

“The local governance code is in the stage of consultation, while the revenue code is waiting for cabinet approval,” Ebrahim explained.

The election codes will serve as the legal framework for the structure, function, procedure, and principles of elections in the autonomous region, which is home to nearly five million people.

The Bangsamoro autonomous government will have six codes, three of which, the Bangsamoro Administrative Code, Bangsamoro Civil Service Code, and Bangsamoro Education Code, were adopted during the first term of the MILF government.

“These are among the six codes that should be passed during the transition period,” he said.

The incumbent government and parliament were reappointed last August, with 39 of the 80 members being new faces, while the rest were reappointed from the last parliament.​​​​​​​