Marawi elections ‘peaceful’ despite low turnout

Women voters flock to the polling center in Barangay Sagonsongan, Marawi City to participate in the special Barangay ang Sangguniang Kabataan elections, September 22, with the hopes that the candidates they are going to vote will win and will give priority to the needs of the women. (Photoby Divina M. Suson) 

MARAWI CITY: The Commission on Election (Comelec) provincial office of Lanao del Sur said the special elections on the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan on Saturday was “peaceful and orderly," despite the low turnout of voters, and other reported incidents of vote-buying and fist fights.

Lawyer Ray Sumalipao, acting Provincial Election Supervisor in Lanao del Sur, credited the success of the special elections in the city to the presence of the military and police units who were deployed in and out of the polling centers.

The presence of government troops deterred rival camps from getting violent which happened in the past elections where ballot snatching and firefights between civilians are common occurrences.

The Joint Task Force (JTF) Ranao congratulated the security forces, election tellers, servers, observers and the Maranao voting public for the generally successful and peaceful elections despite "few fistfights and misunderstandings,” while also few individuals were arrested by the police for election violations such as vote buying.

“But more importantly, this is the first time in Marawi City that not a single person was killed in relation to the elections,” said Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., deputy commander of the JTF Ranao.

The same rules during the regular polls were observed and implemented including the opening of ballots and start of the casting of votes at 7 a.m. and its closing at 3 p.m. -  Divina M. Suson/PNA/RSP