EC postpones endorsement of new senators indefinitely
Commissioners say they need more time to review an election mired in complaints of collusion and vote rigging
The Election Commission (EC)’s seven commissioners remain divided on whether they will endorse senatorial election results, prompting the watchdog to delay the announcement indefinitely.
A source from the EC Office said the commissioners met on Monday from 11am to 1pm but failed to come up with a resolution on whether or not to endorse the 200 election winners.
Initially, the EC was scheduled to announce the 200 winners on July 3 after holding the final round of polls on the national level on June 26.
After being flooded with complaints of alleged vote rigging and collusion, the EC scheduled a meeting on Monday to review the complaints and make a decision on whether or not to endorse the winners.
At the meeting, the commissioners discussed what should be done before it announces the official results, the source said, adding that the related organic law does not set a timeframe for the EC to endorse the winners.
The commissioners also noted that the law only requires the EC to endorse election results within five days if it considers the elections clean and fair.
