Comelec prohibits last day substitution of candidates

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has approved a resolution disallowing the substitution of candidates after the last day of the filing of candidacy for next year's polls.

The designated period for filing the certificate of candidacy is from Oct. 1 to 8, 2024.

«The decision was unanimous. The commission en banc approved my proposal that there would be no more substitution after the last day of filing of candidacy which is October 8, if the ground is withdrawal of candidacy,» Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Wednesday.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia

Garcia added that substitution would only be allowed if the reason is either death or disqualification of the candidate, provided that the substitute candidate and the one to be substituted have the same family name and belong to the same political party.

«They should have the same surname, regardless if they are related by blood or not, and should belong to the same political party,» he added.

Garcia said that the deadline was set so as not to mislead the public on who is really running or not and to oblige political parties to submit their list of candidates promptly.

Advertisement

In previous elections, the deadline for the substitution of candidates was set more than a month after the last day of the filing of the certificate of candidacy.