Key Takeaway:
- Electoral authorities in the Philippines have rejected the first of many complaints seeking to remove presidential contender Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
- Marcos Jr, a politician, has denied the tax allegations and stated elections should be settled at the ballot box.
Electoral authorities in the Philippines have rejected the first of many complaints seeking to remove presidential contender Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the early frontrunner ahead of coming year’s election.
Marcos Jr, the son of late Philippine dictator Marcos, still faces six other complaints – all of them connected to accusations that he failed to pay income tax or file tax returns, which carry a lifetime ban from the election.
Marcos Jr, a politician, has denied the tax allegations and stated elections should be settled at the ballot box.
In a decision on Dec. 16 that was made public on Saturday, the country’s elections commission rejected a petition filed by a fellow aspirant that had sought to declare Marcos Jr, 64, “a nuisance candidate.”
A statement stated the body had ruled that Marcos Jr’s candidacy did not make a mockery of the election process, and it rejected a suggestion that his candidacy would cause confusion among voters.
“He has sufficiently established that he has a bona fide intention to run for president,” the poll body said.
Marcos Jr’s camp welcomed the decision, adding there were zero legal bases to cancel his certificate of candidacy or disqualify him from the 2022 vote.
The Marcos family is among the country’s famous dynasties. Marcos Jr’s election as president will mark a stunning turnaround for the family, which fell from grace following a 1986 popular uprising.
Rights groups had voiced concern about his candidacy, fearing a repeat of the harsh 1970s martial law imposed during his father’s rule, when billions of dollars in state funds were plundered.
Source-CTV News
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