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King Prajadhipok’s Institute 27

and subsequent laws, and regulations and rules formulated by the
Commission on Elections (COMELEC).

The Electoral System. The Constitution mandates a mixed
plurality and limited party- list system. The President and Vice-President

are elected by direct vote for a term of six years. The President is not
eligible for reelection. No person who has succeeded as President and
has served for more than four years is eligible to stand for election as

President at any future time. The Vice-President is prohibited from serving
more than two successive terms.

Senators are elected on a national basis to six-year terms and

are prohibited from serving more than two consecutive terms. Half of
the Senate seats are contested in mid-term elections held every three

years. The majority of representatives to the House of Representatives
are directly elected from single-member constituencies. The remaining
seats – up to twenty percent of the total number – are elected through

a party-list system of registered national, regional and sectoral parties
or organizations in an effort to allow Filipinos belonging to marginalized

and underrepresented sectors to serve in the House. Representatives
serve three-year terms and are restricted to serving no more than three
consecutive terms.

The electoral process and system are overseen by the COMELEC.
The Commission’s constitutionally-mandated independence is intended

to insulate the body from partisan influence. Its wide-ranging powers –
from deputizing the security forces to dismissing candidates to managing

voter registration – were put in place to supposedly safeguard all aspects
of the election process against fraud, violence and political influence.