Canada has congratulated the Philippines for the high turnout of voters in the recently-concluded 2022 national elections.
Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Peter MacArthur conveyed the congratulatory message of Canada on Thursday, May 12.
"Canada congratulates the people of the Philippines for the extremely high turnout of voters, many of them young and for the first time, on the occasion of important national elections reflecting the vibrancy and strength of democracy across the archipelago," MacArthur said on Twitter.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is projecting that a record 81 percent voter turnout of the 67 million registered Filipino voters was achieved.
A total of 107,785 election returns are expected from all precincts nationwide. As of Thursday, 98.32 percent of these have already been electronically transmitted from the vote-counting machines.
Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is currently leading the partial, unofficial count by an overwhelming lead against chief rival Vice President Leni Robredo.
His running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte is also leading the vice presidential race, also by a wide margin.
Other foreign Presidents like US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have congratulated Marcos and Duterte, who are poised to claim the two highest positions in the country.