EC crisis widens

Controversies surrounding dubious ballot papers that may have compromised the principle of voting secrecy and poll integrity have put the Election Commission (EC) in hot water, amid rising public anxiety the Feb 8 national election might be nullified.

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The embattled EC is again accused of breaching regulations. As a result, several groups including the People's Party, which finished first runner-up and was the champion in the previous national election three years ago have filed complaints with various agencies, including the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Constitutional Court and the Administrative Court, over what they see as misconduct - or even fraud - by the poll agency.

The inclusion of QR codes and barcodes on the ballots for the Feb 8 poll has sparked public outcry and debate, as some experts insist the codes which were also used in the 2023 national election and subsequent local polls could make voting traceable. It should be noted that poll agency staff, while adamantly defending the system, were seen using their fingers to hide the codes from public view during the counting process in last Saturday's rerun vote.