Watchdog bucks election deferment

A PLAN to defer next year’s village and youth elections has no legal justification, the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) said in a statement yesterday.

The laws only allows a postponement if there is violence, terrorism, loss or destruction of election paraphernalia or records or force majeure, the watchdog said.

Postponing the May 2020 elections unnecessarily extends the terms of elected officials without a fresh mandate from the people, it added.

Namfrel also said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) should be the one to determine if any of these conditions exist.

The Senate approved on second reading this week the postponement of the elections to December 2022. — GMC