The nationwide mock elections in preparation for the 2022 elections will be held on Dec. 29, Malacañang said on Friday.

Acting Palace spokesman Karlo Nograles said the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) had allowed the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to conduct the mock polls.

“Inaprubahan din ng IATF ang mga rekomendasyon ng technical working group. Una rito ang request ng Comelec na magsagawa ng nationwide mock election exercises sa Dec. 29, 2021,” Nograles said in a Palace briefing.

The Comelec received the source code for the automated election system earlier this week.

The system will be tested during the mock polls, where about 100 voters are expected to participate.

More than 65.5 million voters are expected to participate in the 2022 national and local elections.

The 2022 elections will be held on May 9, 2022. John Ezekiel J. Hirro