THE UST Central Commission on Elections (Comelec) has accredited the Lakas Tomasino Coalition for this year’s Central Student Council (CSC) elections, and will face rival Lakas ng Diwang Tomasino (Lakasdiwa) anew.
In a resolution released on Tuesday, Comelec said Lakas Tomasino and Lakasdiwa had complied with the requirements set by the UST Students’ Election Code of 2011.
LOOK: UST Central Commission on Election accredits political parties Lakasdiwa and Lakas Tomasino Coaliton to field bets for the Central Student Council – Executive Board elections this year. Story to follow. pic.twitter.com/GBZtGGqZff
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Comelec Chairwoman Moriah Vernice Mendiola said Lakasdiwa and Lakas Tomasino were the only political parties that applied for accreditation this year.
The date of the filing of candidacy for the CSC elections has yet to be determined.
Last year, Lakasdiwa was the sole accredited political party, but failed to field bets during elections.
READ: Lakasdiwa sole political party to field bets in next CSC polls
Lakas Tomasino did not apply for accreditation last year following its suspension for violating online campaigning rules during the April 2017 elections.
A year before the suspension, Lakas Tomasino dominated the CSC polls, with four of its candidates proclaimed winners despite overwhelming voter abstentions.
READ: Comelec suspends LTC for one academic year
The Central Judiciary Board intervened and ordered the proclamation of candidates with the highest votes as winners, disregarding the “abstain” votes.
READ: Newly proclaimed CSC officers quit posts
However, the four officers, led by presidential bet Steven Grecia, resigned their posts a month after their proclamation amid clamor from students for them to step down. A. V. Ortega