Abalos: Namfrel accreditation coming soon

The National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) will finally be accredited by the Commission on Elections as its election watchdog for the next year’s polls, Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos announced yesterday.

Abalos said the formal accreditation might come in a few weeks or within the month since some details are still being worked out.

The Comelec earlier called on Namfrel to present a new procedure in relation to the full computerization of the May 2004 general elections.

Although Namfrel has been conducting the unofficial quick count during the elections in the last 20 years, Abalos said there is a need for the poll watchdog to justify how it can work in conjunction with the computerization of next year’s polls.

The Comelec had said the dramatic improvement in the ballot counting speed renders Namfrel’s role in the counting "potentially confusing."

Namfrel, however, lobbied for its accreditation for a parallel count but with added safeguards to ensure that their results would not conflict with that of the Comelec’s. — Jose Aravilla