The first-ever Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections are facing scrutiny after an election watchdog reported widespread irregularities involving assisted voting, ballot handling, vote buying and partisan activity inside polling areas.
The Legal Network for Truthful Elections, or Lente, said the problems raise serious concerns about whether voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao were able to freely and independently choose their representatives.
The findings came as the historic elections were also overshadowed by reports of shootings, explosions and intimidation in several areas.
Watchdog flags ballot-handling violations
Lente said it reviewed 492 monitoring reports covering the voting process and found that 137 reports involved voters who did not personally feed their ballots into automated counting machines.
In 119 of those cases, Electoral Board members were identified as the people who fed the ballots into the machines.
While election procedures allow certain forms of assistance under specific circumstances, Lente warned that ballot handling by election officials can undermine voter confidence and raise questions about whether voters’ choices are being protected.
The watchdog said the issue is particularly sensitive in an election where voters are choosing representatives to a new regional parliament that will shape the future political direction of BARMM.
Assisted voting emerges as another concern
Lente also recorded assisted voting in 187 of 501 monitoring reports.
The watchdog warned that the high number of assisted-voting incidents creates a potential vulnerability because assistance can compromise ballot secrecy if safeguards are not properly followed.
In legitimate cases, an assistor is supposed to help a voter who needs assistance in casting a ballot.
But Lente said the process can be abused when the person providing assistance effectively takes over the voter’s decision-making.
The concern is particularly significant in areas where political loyalties are strong and election-related tensions remain high.
Vote buying reported in 19 cases
The watchdog also documented 19 monitoring reports involving alleged vote buying or vote selling.
Vote buying remains one of the most persistent challenges in Philippine elections, particularly in communities where voters may face economic pressure and political candidates have strong local networks.
Any effort to exchange money or other benefits for votes can undermine the principle that representatives should be chosen freely by the electorate.
Lente’s findings add another layer of concern to an election already dealing with reports of violence and intimidation.
Partisan activity reported inside polling areas
Another 27 monitoring reports involved alleged partisan political activity by members of Electoral Boards or Sectoral Electoral Boards.
Most of these reports came from Marawi City.
Election officials are expected to remain impartial while carrying out their duties, making reports of partisan behaviour particularly sensitive.
The presence of politically active election personnel can undermine confidence in the neutrality of the voting process, especially when they are directly involved in administering ballots.
Violence adds to election concerns
The reported irregularities came alongside serious security incidents during the historic vote.
The Asian Network for Free Elections and the National Democratic Institute expressed grave concern over the escalation of violence surrounding the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections.
Several shooting and explosive incidents were reported in Cotabato City from the eve of the election through Election Day.
Three people were killed and more than a dozen were wounded in the violence.
Observers also reported incidents involving gunfire, intimidation and other security concerns in Cotabato City, parts of Basilan and Maguindanao del Sur.
Despite the violence, voting continued in most areas.
The observer groups urged political candidates, supporters and other stakeholders to exercise restraint and allow Bangsamoro voters to participate without fear.
First parliamentary election faces major test
The election is the first to choose members of the 80-seat Bangsamoro Parliament, marking a major step in the region’s transition from its transitional government to a permanent parliamentary system.
Nearly 2.4 million registered voters are eligible to participate.
The new parliament will eventually select the BARMM chief minister and will have a central role in passing regional laws and shaping policies for the autonomous region.
The election therefore carries significance beyond the selection of individual candidates. It is also a test of whether the political structures created through the Bangsamoro peace process can operate through a credible democratic vote.
Protecting voter choice now becomes critical
Lente’s findings put the focus on one of the most important principles of the election: whether voters are genuinely able to make their own choices in secret and without pressure.
The watchdog’s reports do not automatically establish that every recorded irregularity resulted in a changed vote or electoral fraud.
But the scale of the reported incidents highlights vulnerabilities that election authorities will need to examine closely.
With violence, alleged vote buying, assisted-voting concerns and reports of partisan activity occurring during the region’s first parliamentary election, the credibility of the process will depend heavily on how authorities investigate complaints and protect the integrity of ballots.
For BARMM, the stakes extend beyond one election.
The success of the parliamentary system depends not only on who wins seats, but also on whether voters believe those representatives were chosen through a process that was free, secret and fair.
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