COTABATO CITY, BARMM, Philippines —A Bangsamoro parliament member called for a “thorough and impartial investigation” into the deaths of three United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) volunteers during the region’s first parliamentary elections held this week.
Mohagher Iqbal, also a former Bangsamoro education minister and chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s (MILF) Peace Implementing Panel, said the violence that marred the Sept. 14 Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections “cannot simply pass without accountability.”
He also expressed concern over the wounding of about 20 others and urged the national government, law enforcement agencies and justice institutions to ensure those responsible are held accountable.
READ: Parties led by ex-rebels dominate BARMM polls
“Elections must never become an excuse for violence, intimidation, or the loss of life,” Iqbal said in a statement on Wednesday night.
The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) recorded at least five deaths and 18 injuries in seven incidents during the elections in Cotabato City, including shootings, explosions and the recovery of an explosive. The identities of two fatalities remained unknown.
The UBJP, the political party linked to the MILF, won 30 seats in the 80-member regular Bangsamoro Parliament. Official results show the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP) won 31 seats, while the BARMM Grand Coalition secured eight and the Raayat Democratic Party, one. The remaining district and sectoral seats were not itemized in the proclamations reviewed.
Responsibility
Iqbal thanked voters for supporting the UBJP, saying its 30 seats carry “a tremendous responsibility,” which the party accepts “with humility and a renewed commitment to serve the Bangsamoro people and advance the aspirations for peace, justice, meaningful self-governance, and development.”
He also commended security forces and election officials for securing the polls, saying voters were generally able to exercise their right to vote despite violence in some areas.
About 2 million of the region’s nearly 2.4 million registered voters cast ballots, resulting in an 84.34-percent turnout, according to the Bangsamoro government.
The election produced no single-party majority in the 80-seat Parliament, which will elect the region’s chief minister when its members assume office on Oct. 30.
Iqbal urged all parties to respect the institutions established under the Bangsamoro Organic Law and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
He said members of the incoming Parliament must be free to choose the chief minister, speaker and other officers “in accordance with law and parliamentary processes, and without undue interference from outside the Bangsamoro Parliament.” /cb
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