A senior Malacañang on Friday said the conduct of special elections in 13 towns of Lanao del Sur on Saturday will disprove allegations that the province is prone to election fraud.

Presidential political adviser Gabriel Claudio said Lanao del Sur and the Muslim-dominated provinces in Mindanao have been “unfairly, unjustly and wrongly stereo-typed as prone to election fraud.”

“Special election in Lanao del Sur and other localities in the South are a good opportunity to prove this characterization wrong. We are confident

that the electorate of Lanao del Sur will be vindicated by the conduct and results of the special polls,” he said.

Vice President Noli de Castro, in an ambush interview at the arrival ceremony for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, said it is unfair to prejudge the special elections as fraudulent even before it has been conducted.

De Castro said appropriate measures have already been put in place, including the deployment of several military and police units to ensure that polls would be orderly and peaceful.

AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said two battalions will be added to the four battalions that are already deployed in Lanao del Sur and the nearby provinces to provide security and order during the special polls.

PNP chief Oscar Calderon also deployed more police to Lanao del Sur.

Source: gmanews.tv