Filipinos to elect new leaders May 9


The long wait is over.

Filipino voters will finally get to cast their vote on Monday, May 9, for the National and Local Elections.

Comelec/MB

More than 65 million voters are expected to troop to different polling precincts to elect the successor of President Duterte, who will lead the country in the next six years.

Aside from President, also up for grabs are the following: Vice President (1), Senators (12), Party-List (63), Member, House of Representatives (253); Governor (81), Vice Governor (81), Member, Sangguniang Panlalawigan (782); Mayor (1,634); Vice Mayor (1,634), and Member, Sangguniang Panlungsod/Bayan (13,558).

There are 18,100 seats that are up for grabs in the May 9 polls.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner George Garcia described Monday's polls as "historic" because a new president will be elected amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said they also expect a high voter turnout.

"This will be a historic and very memorable elections. In a pandemic situation, we are electing a new president," Garcia said in a press briefing.

"We are actually expecting a high voter turnout on Election Day," he added.

The Comelec said that the voter turnout during presidential elections is usually higher compared to the midterm polls.

During the 2016 polls, the voter turnout was 80 percent.

On Thursday, the Comelec already declared readiness to conduct the polls as almost all of the election paraphernalia have been dispatched fully.

"We are all systems go. We are just waiting for the date of the elections," Comelec Commissioner Marlon Casquejo said.

"We are 100 percent all set for May 9," he added stressing that failure is not an option for the Comelec.