Riyadh/Jeddah, Apr 12: The overseas absentee voting among Overseas Filipino Workers starting tomorrow in Riyadh and the Eastern Province has been delayed in Jeddah because the ballot boxes and other election documents are yet to arrive.
The voting in Riyadh and the Eastern Province will continue until May 13.
Consul Leo Tito L. Ausan Jr., in charge of the electoral process at the Philippines Consulate in Jeddah, told Arab News that the Consulate has received the PCOS (precinct count optical scan) machines but that the ballot boxes are still awaited.
In Riyadh, Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago said the embassy has made all arrangements to conduct the first automated elections.
“In preparation for the election, the embassy organized training for poll officers to handle the Automated Election System (AES),” Tago told Arab News.
He said the embassy received eight PCOS machines from the Philippines and that it is 100 percent ready to conduct the elections for the senatorial and party-list polls.
Aside from the eight PCOS machines, the embassy also received ballots and paraphernalia for automated elections.
The mission in Riyadh is one of seven foreign-service posts that will adopt the automated election system this year.
Tago invited all registered overseas voters to exercise their right to vote to select the next leaders of the country.
The automated elections follow the training of personnel who will serve as members of the Special Board of Election Inspectors, Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group and Special Board of Canvassers.
The embassy has invited all Filipinos to visit its website (www.philembassy-riyadh.org) and Facebook page to see if their names are there on the Certified List of Overseas Voters for Riyadh.
The list for Riyadh is also printed and posted at the embassy premises and registered voters may check the number of their precincts before proceeding to the precincts where they should vote.
In Jeddah, a total of 30 personnel are being trained to handle the poll management.
In Riyadh, there are 53,396 registered Filipino voters — the largest overseas voter bloc in the Middle East region.
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