COTABATO CITY — The Bangsamoro Party (BaPa), the regional political party of one of the factions of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), has conceded in the recent Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE).
BaPa garnered 35,671 votes, or 1.9 percent of the total votes cast in the regional balloting, below the 2.5% threshold to get one seat.
“BaPa fairly and honorably concedes the results of the First Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM),” MNLF Chairman Muslimin Sema said in a statement Wednesday.
READ: LIST: Winning party, sectoral representatives in BARMM polls
“This electoral exercise is the fruit of a long Bangsamoro struggle for self-determination, and it deserves to be honored with peace, order, and honesty. It is democracy at work,” said Sema, BaPa president and currently the minister of the Bangsamoro Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE).
However, Sema noted with deep concern the reported violence and alleged irregularities that marred the conduct of elections.
Sema cited the events that worried him and his party: shooting near a polling center in Cotabato City that killed four people and wounded about two dozen others; the grenade explosion reported on the eve of the polls; the discovery of pre-shaded ballots in Basilan province and Cotabato City; and alleged widespread vote-buying.
He said these are grave affronts to the Bangsamoro people’s right to choose their leaders freely.
READ: Violence, fraud mar BARMM elections on a ‘lesser scale’
“Despite these troubling incidents, the BaPa participated in the electoral process with untarnished integrity and unswerving loyalty to the trust and confidence reposed in us by the people,” Sema added.
Sema added that he was grateful for the dignified efforts of BaPa nominees, party officials and workers.
“We may not have gained the people’s trust to take part in the region’s governance, but we continue to be commanded by their will to continue the struggle for the betterment of the whole Bangsamoro,” Sema said, adding that the MNLF and BaPa will continue working with the regional parliament and reaffirm its commitment to the peace, security, and stability of the Bangsamoro region.
Interim Bangsamoro Parliament Member lawyer Omar Yasser Sema has extended his congratulatory message to his Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) colleagues who made it in last Monday’s elections.
“I am confident that all of you will not fail the people’s trust and all of you will do your mandate faithfully,” he said, adding that there were incidents that cast doubt on the credibility of the elections but was thankful that the process was completed.
READ: Comelec allocates seats to 4 winning parties in BARMM polls
“It is time for us to move on. We did better than the results. We were dignified. We have shown our commitment and our sincerity but it was not enough to gain the people’s trust. We will learn from this experience, and we have to do better in the future,” he said./coa
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