A WEB

A delegation from the A-WEB Secretariat, led by the Secretary General, participated in the international observation program of 2023 *BSKE, organized by the Commission on Elections of the Philippines (COMELEC). The delegates from the CECs in Georgia, Uzbekistan and the Maldives Election Commission also attended the Program.

*Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, the Elections of village captains and village council members, and village youth council

The A-WEB delegates enjoyed the well organized Program, including observation of five polling stations and meeting with the COMELEC leadership and staff members. In particular, Mr. George Erwin Garcia, Chairman of the Commission, Commissioner Marlon S. Casquejo, and Nelson J. Celis took their time, despite their busy schedules, to have meetings on the electoral systems of the Philippines and cooperate with A-WEB.

As one of the election innovation initiatives, COMELEC piloted a ‘Mall Voting’ that established polling stations in shopping malls. Many voters could enjoy the convenient and well-organized environment of malls. The Commission also conducted a pilot project to adopt ‘AES (Automated Election System)’ in BSKE for the first time to spread the system nationwide in future BSKEs. As the Commission has organized a few nationwide elections using the system, the pilot project turned out to be successful, helping the canvassing process to be finished within a couple of hours from the closing of the poll.