BARMM parliamentary elections deferred

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has deferred the March 30, 2026 Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections, citing legal restrictions and operational hurdles after the delayed passage of a parliamentary districting law.

In a minute resolution issued after its Jan. 28 en banc meeting, the agency announced that the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections are postponed “until a new date is fixed by law,” and terminated all activities under previous election calendars.

The postponement stems from the belated approval of Parliament Bill No. 415 on Jan. 13, which establishes parliamentary districts in BARMM. The measure, however, has yet to be signed by the chief minister and published, a prerequisite for its effectivity.

The Comelec Law Department said the delay conflicts with election rules meant to protect voters from confusion. “No territory comprising an election precinct shall be altered or a new precinct be established at the start of the election period,” according to the Voter’s Registration Act.

The districting arrangement would inevitably change town, municipal and voting cluster boundaries — a process that the election law freezes once the election period begins.

The Supreme Court earlier warned that late redistricting could render preparations useless, disrupt precincts anchored in villages and disfranchise voters.

Comelec also stressed that partial elections could not be held while some district seats remain unsettled. “The laws governing the conduct of the BARMM Parliamentary Elections do not contemplate piecemeal polls,” according to the resolution.

The Supreme Court has cautioned that electing only a portion of Parliament members would create governance gaps, noting that a Parliament composed of only 60% of its legal membership has “no legal basis.”

Operational constraints were also cited. Key processes such as ballot printing, machine configuration, personnel training and voter education rely on finalized districts and candidate lists, both of which remain incomplete.

“An election held in haste defiles the people’s right to vote,” the commission said, adding that proceeding without proper preparation could compromise the integrity of the election.

Until legislation sets an election date, all election-related activities for the March 2026 BARMM parliamentary polls are terminated. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking