The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday said it is preparing for the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), scheduled for October.
Comelec spokesperson Rex Laudiangco said there were supposed to be 80 parliamentary seats, but seven seats originally intended for Sulu have yet to be reallocated by the interim Bangsamoro Parliament.
“Bangsamoro authorities have yet to resolve the reallocation of seven seats originally allocated to Sulu after the province rejected the Bangsamoro Organic Law in the 2019 plebiscite,” Laudiangco explained. Vito Barcelo
In September 2024, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the law but ruled that Sulu was not part of BARMM.
Laudiangco said the Comelec is prepared to explain its position to the Supreme Court and is ready to proceed with using up to 7,000 automated counting machines should the elections push through.