Philippines' election agency rejects bid to disqualify Marcos Jr
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[December 18, 2021]
MANILA (Reuters) - Electoral
authorities in the Philippines have rejected the first of a series of
complaints seeking to disqualify presidential contender Ferdinand Marcos
Jr, the early frontrunner ahead of next year's election.
Marcos Jr, the son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, still
faces six other complaints - all of them linked to accusations that he
failed to pay income tax or file tax returns, which carry a lifetime ban
from running for election.
Marcos Jr, a career politician, has denied the tax allegations and said
elections should be settled at the ballot box.
In a decision dated Dec. 16 that was made public on Saturday, the
country's elections commission rejected a petition filed by a fellow
presidential aspirant that had sought to declare Marcos Jr, 64, "a
nuisance candidate".
A statement said the body had ruled that Marcos Jr's candidacy did not
make a mockery of the election process, and it rejected a suggestion
that his candidacy would cause confusion among voters.
"(He) has sufficiently established that he actually has a bona fide
intention to run for president," the poll body added.
Marcos Jr's camp welcomed the decision, saying there was no legal basis
to cancel his certificate of candidacy or disqualify him from the 2022
vote.
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Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son of late Philippines dictator Ferdinand
Marcos, is surrounded by supporters after filing his certificate of
candidacy for president in the 2022 national election, in Pasay
City, Metro Manila, Philippines, October 6, 2021. REUTERS/Eloisa
Lopez
The Marcos family is among the country's most famous dynasties.
Marcos Jr's election as president would mark a stunning turnaround
for the family, which fell from grace following a 1986 popular
uprising.
Rights groups have voiced concern about his candidacy, fearing a
repeat of the harsh 1970s martial law imposed during his father's
rule, when billions of dollars in state funds were plundered.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Helen Popper)
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