The idea of postponing the May 2022 elections presented “constitutional challenges” — Palace
CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGES — Malacañang on Friday didn’t accept the idea of postponing the upcoming May 2022 national elections because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This, as Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that the Philippines still has enough time to prepare so voters can safely exercise their right to vote.
In a report on Manila Bulletin, Roque said in a statement that postponing the May 2022 elections was “problematic” and that the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t an excuse in order to postpone the elections.
According to him, the holding of May 2022 elections was a public service that the national government must ensure to deliver, adding that the idea to postpone the May 2022 elections — if and when it happen — presented “constitutional challenges”.
“We must not use the existing global health crisis as a ground to cancel and reschedule the elections as this would not sit well with the public”, Roque said.
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Roque also said that the government still had enough time to prepare for the safe conduct of the May 2022 elections.
Moreover, he said that the public could learn from the examples of other countries — including the United States which would be holding an election later this year — on how these countries conduct elections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Roque’s statement came after Deputy Majority Leader and Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo encouraged the officials at the Commission on Elections to consider postponing the May 2022 elections due to health and safety concerns amid the pandemic, which some senators described it as “unconstitutional”.
Meanwhile, Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesman Director James Jimenez previously said that the Commission didn’t see a need to postpone the May 2022 elections amid pandemic.
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