Comelec disqualifies 21 BSKE 2023 candidates

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday announced it has disqualified 21 candidates in the 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) for premature campaigning.

According to the poll body, 17 have already been awarded a certificate of finality and entry of judgment, meaning that they can no longer appeal their case and the ruling is final and executory. 

Of those disqualified, 12 applied for the position of SK kagawad, two for SK chairperson, five for barangay kagawad, and two for barangay chairman.

“Chairman George Garcia has committed that the remaining 318 motu proprio cases as of 9 November 2023 with 292 cases for premature/ illegal campaigning and 26 for vote-buying and/or vote selling will be resolved with haste,” the Comelec said in a statement.

Premature campaigning violates Section 80, in relation to Section 68 of the Omnibus Election Code, which prohibits any person from engaging in an election campaign or partisan political activity outside the campaign period.

The campaign period for the 2023 BSKE was from October 19 to October 28.

Comelec previously said that it would suspend the proclamation of candidates with pending petitions to deny due course to or cancel the certificate of candidacy, to declare as a nuisance candidate, or for disqualification. 

This is so it will not "render nugatory the findings of the Commission" in the cases.—Joahna Lei Casilao/AOL, GMA Integrated News