SMARTMATIC, the election technology provider, has been barred from taking part in all future elections in the Philippines, after being the country’s poll contractor since the start of automated elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.
Comelec chair George Garcia made the announcement in a message to reporters, saying the firm has been disqualified from participating in any bidding for its procurement, including the 2025 midterm elections, as published on abogado.ph
“We disqualified Smartmatic (from participating) in all Comelec procurement,” Garcia said in the Viber message.
“We have to maintain the integrity of our electoral process. Para sa Bayan,” he added.
In response, a Smartmatic official said: “We have not been notified of the decision and have yet to receive the official copy of such. We will issue our statement at the appropriate time.”
Smartmatic’s disqualification came in the wake of a pending petition filed in the Comelec seeking the disqualification of the polling firm from taking part in the bidding for the poll system to be used in the 2025 national elections
The petition was filed by former Information and Communications Technology Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr., former Comelec commissioner Augusto Lagman, former president of Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines Franklin Ysaac, and retired Colonel Leonardo Odoño.
The petitioners alleged that there were discrepancies between transmitted and received election returns in the 2022 elections.
metrosundaily
