BY DAVAOTODAY.COM
Posted by Bulatlat
ELECTION WATCH/BREAKING NEWS
May 17, 2007 – 4:03pm

MANILA — The political opposition vowed on Thursday to pursue charges against those behind the alleged plot to manipulate the election in Maguindanao that resulted in a sweep in the senatorial race by the administration coalition, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr. said.

Pimentel, in a statement, said that the Genuine Opposition has started gathering evidence on the alleged rigging of election results in Maguindanao in favor of Team Unity.

“We will sue the election operators who clearly manipulated the Maguindanao canvass, Comelec officials who worked with them and officials of the board of canvassers who looked the other way while massive fraud was being done,” the senator from Mindanao said.

Pimentel likewise criticized the military on Thursday for preventing the opposition’s lawyers from monitoring the canvassing of votes at the Mindanao State University campus in Jolo.

“Comelec should immediately lift the order because it is illegal,” Pimentel said, referring to the supposed Comelec order that was cited as reason for barring the opposition lawyers.

The refusal to allow opposition representatives to witness and monitor the canvassing further bolsters suspicion that the election returns and other documents are being falsified to make it appear that GO senatorial candidates are being clobbered by TU candidates, he said. davaotoday.com/Posted by Bulatlat

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