The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Thursday it remains on schedule to complete the printing of 2.39-million official ballots for the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia made the assurance during the signing of the memorandum of agreement with the National Printing Office, saying the ballots are expected to be completed within a week ahead of the 14 September elections.

“To our countrymen in the Bangsamoro, to the political parties, and to the candidates, there should no longer be any doubt. The Bangsamoro elections will definitely push through,” Garcia said.

The poll chief said the commission would print exactly 2.39-million ballots, equivalent to the number of registered voters. “We don’t have excess ballots. It’s a one-to-one ratio,” he said.