Philippine Court Rejects Effort to Nullify Election

The Philippine Supreme Court today rejected a petition to nullify this month’s congressional election, ruling that the opposition failed to show sufficient evidence of widespread fraud.

The high court, in a 13-1 decision, ruled that the center-right Grand Alliance for Democracy should have taken its complaints first to the Commission on Elections.

The alliance, led by former Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, appealed to the court to declare a “failure of elections” because of alleged widespread fraud and cheating in the May 11 election, which President Corazon Aquino’s ticket won by an apparent landslide.

Official returns from more than 78% of the precincts show Aquino’s “People Power” coalition claiming 22 of the 24 Senate seats and more than 140 seats in the 200-member House of Representatives.

The top 24 vote-getters among the 84 Senate candidates will win seats.