Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan on Monday called for the passage of a new electoral code to allow the first-ever election in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to push through in 2022.
Tan brushed aside calls from civil society groups and BARMM officials to postpone the 2022 election, which will extend the BARMM’s transition timeline and allow leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to stay in office until 2025.
“Dapat maipasa na ‘yung electoral code. ‘Yan ang bigyan natin ng prayoridad … Kailangan mag-eleksyon … Kailangan talaga i-submit sa taumbayan,” Tan said during the online “Tapatan sa Aristocrat” Forum on July 5.
Naguib Sinarimbo, minister of interior and local government of BARMM, said in the same forum that the promulgation of the electoral code during the transition period was challenging, as many issues in the region’s election system needed to be addressed.
“Ang commitment ho ng MILF at ng Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) ay maipasa ang mga batas na nakaline-up sa atin. Kasama na ang electoral code diyan. So whether may eleksyon or wala, ang BTA ho ay committed na ipasa ang batas,” Sinarimbo said. Kelsey Telo
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