BARMM polls' prep nears completion

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Sunday it is nearly 95 percent prepared for the first-ever Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections scheduled for 13 October 2025.

Comelec chairperson George Garcia said in a radio interview that the poll body is ready to proceed with the elections as planned, despite public concerns about a potential postponement.

The Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, originally set for this December, have already been postponed to November 2026.

Garcia said the Bangsamoro elections will proceed with a reduced number of 73 seats to be contested.

The seven parliamentary seats previously assigned to the province of Sulu are now considered “temporarily vacant” because there has been no new legislation to reallocate them.

He added that the poll body estimates that about 2.3 million people will vote in the elections.

The election period began on 14 August and will conclude on 28 October.

The campaign period will run from 28 August to 11 October 2025.