Philippine Elections and Political Parties

• Elections and political parties are essential components of Philippine politics and governance.

Learning Competencies

• Understand the concept, roles, and functions of elections.
• Describe the nature of elections in the Philippines.
• Identify types of electoral systems.
• Assess implications of electoral systems on politics and governance.

Elections

• Elections are a method for filling a governmental office through choices made by the electorate which is a body of qualified people.
• Elections enable participation in governmental affairs

Roles and Functions of Elections

• Recruiting political leaders
• Making governments, influencing policy
• Providing representation
• Educating voters
• Building legitimacy
• Strengthening elite

Electoral Systems

• An electoral system is a set of rules governing the conduct of elections and is categorized into majoritarian and proportional types.
• Majoritarian system: Larger political parties secure a higher proportion of seats than the proportion of votes
• Proportional system: There is equal relationship between the seats won by a party and the votes
• Elections Translate votes into seats in legislature
• Act as a conduit through which people hold their elected representatives accountable
• Give incentives for those competing for power to appeal to the electorate in distinct ways.

Electoral System Types

• Single-member plurality system is a majoritarian system
• Country is divided into single-member constituencies (or legislative districts) usually of equal size
• One district has one representative where voters select a single candidate
• The winning candidate needs only a plurality of votes.
• Alternative Vote (AV) systems and Supplementary Vote (SV) are majoritarian systems
• AV: Electorate ranks candidates in order of preference
• SV system: There is only a single supplementary vote
• A candidate must win 50% of all the votes cast to be elected.
• Single-transferable-vote system is a proportional electoral system
• Districts have multimember constituencies, each electing up to five members
• Voters elect preferentially
• Candidates are elected if they achieve a quota which is the minimum number of votes to be elected

Political Party

• A political party is a group aspiring to hold public office through electoral or other means.
• Political parties are a principle organizing modern politics, linking state, civil society, governmental institutions and groups within society

Characteristics of Political Parties

• Aim to exercise government power by winning government seats
• Formally organized with "card carrying" membership and oath
• Adopt a broad issue focus and address major areas of government policy
• United by shared political preferences and ideological identity to varying degrees

Functions of Political Parties

• Representation
• Elite formation and recruitment
• Goal formulation
• Interest articulation and aggregation
• Socialization and mobilization
• Organization of government

Political Parties

• Political parties are important not because of functions, but because relationships help structure the political system
• This network is referred to as the party system.

Major Types of Party Systems

• One-party system: Only one party dominates with no political competition
• Single-party systems are characterized by the democratic oppression of freedom
• Two-party system: Two parties primarily dominate the political landscape
• Smaller parties only play a subordinate role
• Dominant party systems: Other parties are present
• One party dominates and enjoys prolonged periods in power.
• Multiparty Systems: More than two parties compete for power over time
• A single-party government is less likely with higher chances of coalition formation

Elections and Political Parties in the Philippines

• Democratic institutions, elections, were imported to the Philippines from Western models
• American colonialism was instrumental in the rise of constitutional law, the secret ballot, political parties, and legislature

Current Structure

• The 1987 Constitution and the Omnibus Election Code provide structure of the current electoral system
• The COMELEC enforces election laws, exercises jurisdiction over candidate qualifications and political party accreditations, and votes canvassing.
• The 1987 Constitution provides that the three branches of the government are separate and equal.
• The president and vice president are elected separately by a direct vote of the people
• Under the simple plurality method the candidates with the highest vote number are proclaimed winners
• Both officials are to serve for six years.
• Electing senators was given a six-year term.
• Senator elections are held every three years with 12 senators being elected
• This results in formulation of concurrent six-year terms for the Senate to provide and policy making stability.
• Seats are allocated at one seat per 2% of votes obtained according to Party-List Act (RA 7941)
• Unallocated seats shall be distributed among the other parties that have not obtained the three seats maximum.
• There are almost 300 representatives in the Philippines at present based on the 1987 Constitition
• The current constitution encourages a free and open party system which led to political party rise in the post-1986 period
• Introduction of the party-list system helped this rise.
• The 1991 Local Government Code governs election for local government officials Punong barangays, vice mayors, mayors, vice governors, and governors are elected in their respective localities through plurality vote

Major Political Parties during the Post-EDSA Period

• Three main parties emerged
  • Lakas
  • Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino (LAMMP)
  • Liberal Party
• Lakas became the largest party after Fidel Ramos' 1992 presidential victory
• Established in 1992 by former members of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP)
• The Lakas was a product of the merger between The Lakas ng EDSA and the National Union of Christian Democrats-Union of Muslim Democrats founded in 1984 (Teehankee 2002).
• In 1994, Lakas formed a coalition with LDP for the 1995 congressional elections (Lakas-Laban)
• In 2004 changed its name to Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats and became part of (K-4 coalition) which supported Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
• In 2008, merged with Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino, the ruling party with was renamed to the Lakas-Kampi-CMD which became ruling party in the 2010 elections
• It had business connections thanks to pro-business polices of Ramos and Arroyo.
• LAMMP was a coalition of two major parties
• organized in October 1997 to consolidate the opposition of Lakas
• LAPP was led by Senator Edgardo Angara and Orlando Mercado
• Ruling political coalition for the presidential bet, Joseph Ejercito Estrada in May 1998
• was set up in 1988 by anti-Marcos politicians: Senate president Neptali Gonzales
• It was the ruling party during the Corazon Aquino Administration The Liberal Party is the only pre-1972 political party in existence today
• Founded by Manuel Roxas on January 19, 1946
• What was once the Liberal wing of the Nacionalista Party.
• The party controlled the Senate and had influence in the House during Corazon Aquino's presidency
• It suffered during the 1992 presidential and congressional elections
• The Liberal Party mounted the 2010 Senator Benigno S. Aquino III presidential campaign
• For the 2013 elections it formed a coalition of Liberal party-led groups (Team PNoy).

Issues, Prospects and Challenges

• Elections remain problematic in the Philippines where Teehankee (2000) said there is failure for full achievment of electoral system functions in the areas of representation and and integration
• National political political elites are still dominated by the economic and political elites, so the voices of the marginalized sectors are not heard in legislation
• Elections lack real alternatives or competitive candidates
• electoral processes are riddled with opportunities for electoral fraud
• Velasco (2006) observed that political parties subscribe to the rights of limited government, and free principles.
• Teehankee (2002) pointed out the weakness of party system that ad hoc political parties in the country that do not take a leading role -
• Parties operate in immature legal and legal and institutional contexts
• Teehankee (2002) suggests an incremental for electoral reforms to fix the problems and steer Philippine politics for the better.