Day: May 15, 2007

COTABATO CITY (MindaNews/15 May) —  Somsri Hananuntasuk of Thailand,
the executive director of the Asian Network for Free Elections (Anfrel) has had several encounters with armed men in her monitoring of human rights violations and in the conduct of elections in various places, including Afghanistan. But seeing so many heavily-armed men on election day in Matanog, Shariff Kabunsuan, the muzzle of the their long firearms not pointed down,  some people “acting like a warlord” and the feeling there might be war there, .was “worse than Afghanistan,” she said.

COTABATO CITY (MindaNews/15 May) – Twenty one foreign observers who spent eight days studying pre-election and election-day situation in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (ARMM) six provinces and lone city, have recommended as part of the Philippine electoral reforms the election of senator by region “to cut down the cost of campaigning, and enhance accountability and representation” and the passage of a law on political dynasties to  “limit the number of politicians from same family or political clan.”

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/15 May) —  The conduct of elections in Southeastern Mindanao was "generally peaceful and orderly" but “disorderly at the precinct level” owing to voters' confusion, a Commission on Elections official said.

SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao (MindaNews/14 May) —  Voting in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was generally peaceful but  problems of statistical improbability and multiple registrants continue to hound the electoral process in an area being referred to as “cheating region.”