EU: No meaningful voting observation due to lack of poll center access

The European Union (EU) Election Observers Mission on Monday said it was not able to meaningfully observe the voting process during the 2025 Philippine elections.

The EU poll observers said this is due to the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to deny their request to enter polling precincts during voting hours. Instead, they have been allowed to enter after voting.

“As part of the EU methodology and prior to deployment [of] the poll observers on March 12, the EU and the Philippine authorities signed a mutual commitment granting to the EU poll observers freedom of access, at any time, to all polling precincts and the canvassing centers and also ensuring that all mission members shall abide by the Comelec’s International Election Observer Accreditation Guidelines and the EU EOM code of conduct. Following COMELEC’s recent letters and instructions, the EU EOM found that it was no longer granted the necessary guarantees for adequate access to polling precincts, which is an essential element of the EU’s observation methodology,” the EU election observers said.

“As a result, the EU EOM could not ensure meaningful observation of the voting phase in polling precincts. Consequently, the Mission did not deploy the whole team of observers as originally planned. However, all EU observers were deployed to the counting process after the closing of the polls scheduled at 19:00 (7 pm),” the EU poll observers added.

The EU poll observation mission then said that entry to polling precincts on election day is part of its well-established and widely respected methodology in the last 25 years that has been consistently applied during observation in over 75 countries.

“The EU observes elections in the same manner in all countries where it is invited, guided by principles of objectivity, independence, non-interference and a comprehensive, long- term approach covering all phases of the electoral process, including voting proceedings,” they added.

The EU poll observers mission will present its preliminary findings in a press conference on Wednesday, March 14.

Their full report will be released in July this year.

The EU poll observers are in the country on the invitation of the Philippine government.

In initially denying them entry, Comelec chairman George Garcia earlier said that allowing foreign observers inside polling precincts would violate the Omnibus Election Code and might unduly influence voters.

Election lawyer and ML party-list first nominee Leila de Lima, however, argued that the Comelec has the authority to allow the entry of foreign observers in polling precincts on a limited basis.  — BM, GMA Integrated News

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