Monitors hit transparency lack 03/14/2010

COMELEC ASKED TO REVEAL ‘BACK-UP’ PLAN Monitors hit transparency lack 03/14/2010 A high-level multinational group of election observers yesterday criticized the government for “insufficient” transparency on the new automated voting system. The mission organized by the US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) said at the end of a week-long visit that the poll body Commission on Elections (Comelec) should do more to ensure the machines, which are to be used for the first time to count ballots and pool and transmit results from more than 350,000 precincts, are fraud-proof and have adequate backup. It, however, recognized “substantial efforts” being made to improve on previous elections, which it said had frequently been marked by “violence, intimidation and widespread fraud.” “The perception, whether fair or not, is that the Comelec has not done so. When it concerns elections, perceptions can be as important as reality,” it said... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune ALTERNATE URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20100314hed1.html

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