The Commission on Elections (Comelec) cannot hold snap elections unless there is a law authorizing it, poll chief George Erwin Garcia said.
Garcia explained that the 1987 Constitution does not provide any legal or constitutional basis for the conduct of snap elections.
“Sa part ng Comelec, hindi kami makakapag-conduct ng elections o special elections nang walang batas. Kinakailangan may mandato ng batas sapagkat ang katungkulan ni Comelec ay tagapagpatupad ng isang batas sa halalan,” Garcia said.
“Kung walang batas, hindi namin maisasagawa ang ganiyang klaseng halalan,” he added.
He noted that under the current system, government officials have fixed terms of office. In cases of death, permanent disability, removal, or resignation, the rule of succession applies instead of holding new elections.
“Mas mabilis ang ganiyan sa parliamentary government. Sa parliamentary government, kapag nagdeklara ng loss of confidence sa gobyerno, magkakaroon sila agad ng halalan upang makapagpalit ng mga pinuno nila. Sa atin, walang ganung klaseng provision, at hindi ko alam, maaaring Saligang Batas ang babaguhin o kakayanin ng isang batas lang,” Garcia explained.
Garcia’s clarification came after Senator Alan Peter Cayetano floated the idea of a snap election for the President, Vice President, Senate, and Congress, barring incumbents from running for one cycle due to what he described as “loss of trust” in government.
However, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III rejected the suggestion, saying the country has “no constitutional nor legal framework for snap elections.”
“We will be flirting with uncertainty and chaos. Just my opinion,” Sotto said.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, argued that restoring public trust lies not in holding snap elections but in ensuring accountability.
“For a change, how about certainty of punishment of corrupt politicians? The higher the better,” Lacson said.
