Comelec sees high turnout for Monday's midterm polls
At least 46 million out of 61.8 million registered voters are expected to exercise their right of suffrage in Monday's 2019 national and local elections.
In an interview, Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesman James Jimenez reiterated the poll body's readiness.
Voting hours in the estimated 85,000 polling precincts nationwide will run for 12 hours, from 6 am to 6 pm.
Comelec sees winners to be proclaimed within 24 to 36 hours, said Jimenez.
As for national candidates, their proclamation at the National Board of Canvassers headquarters in Pasay City could likely be within 10 days.
"We expect to see a voter turn out about 75 percent to 78 percent. But coming of the 81 percent voting turn out from 2016 and from anecdotal reports of more people that engage in the elections, you could see that sort of engagement is existing," said Jimenez.
"There is room to believe and to be cautiously optimistic that we will have higher turnout than expected... We are hoping that we come close to 80 to 81 percent turnout result of 2016," he added.
Voters are set to elect 12 senators, one party-list group, one governor, one vice governor, provincial board members, one mayor, one vice mayor, and councilors.
There are a total of 43,554 candidates, broken down to 62 for senator, 134 for party-lists, 633 for congressman, 273 for provincial governor, 185 for provincial vice governor, 1,733 for provincial board members, 415 for city mayor, 336 for city vice mayor, 3,765 for city councilors, 3,571 for municipal mayor, 3,282 for municipal vice mayor, and 29,299 for municipal councilors.
"We are very much ready for this elections. For the part of the Comelec, we are ready as we can be," said Comelec chairman Sheriff Abas.
Four areas have been placed under Comelec control.
They are Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental; Daraga, Albay; Rosario, Agusan del Sur and Cotabato City. 85 areas in Luzon and Visayas are also under category red.
The entire Mindanao was earlier placed under category red due to its being under martial law. DMS
