THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said all political parties interested in applying to be declared as dominant majority and minority parties and major national or local parties for the May 2025 national and local polls have until January 10, 2025 to do so.
The deadline is set under Resolution No. 11084.
“A political party duly registered with the Commission may file a verified petition for accreditation for the determination of the dominant majority party, the dominant minority party, the 10 major national parties, and the 2 major local parties,” said the Comelec.
“For purposes of the May 12, 2025 NLE and BARMM-PE (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao parliamentary elections), the petition shall be filed not later than 10 January 2025,” it said.
The Commission said the petitions may be filed personally at the Office of the Clerk at the Comelec central office in Intramuros, Manila, or via email at clerkofthecommission@comelec.gov.ph.
It said the petitions must be filed in four hard copies along with complete annexes.
For those that will be accredited, the Comelec said they will be entitled to one official watcher in every polling place and canvassing center.
The parties to be declared as such will also be entitled to copies of election returns and certificates of canvass.
In determining the dominant majority and minority parties and major national and local parties, the Comelec said it will determine the weighted average points of each applicant.
The criteria to be taken into consideration include the party’s history of fielding a complete slate of candidates (10 points), number of incumbent elective official (20 points), the organizational structure of the party (20 points), the ability to field a complete slate of candidates from the municipal level up to senators (40 points), and has at least 30 percent of women candidates (10 points).
In the May 2022 polls, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) was declared as the dominant majority party, while the dominant minority party was the Nacionalista Party (NP).
Considered as the 10 major political parties were the Liberal Party (LP), Aksyon Demokratiko (Aksyon), Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), Lakas-Christian Muslim Demokrats (Lakas-CMD), Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma (PDR), National Unity Party (NUP), Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), Akbayan Citizens Action Party (Akbayan), and United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
