Description of Electoral System:

(courtesy of IFES election guide)

The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 6-year term. In the Senate (Senado) 24 members are elected by popular vote to serve 6-year terms. In the House of Representatives (Kapulungan Ng Mga Kinatawan) 214 members are elected by popular vote to serve 3-year terms. One-half of the members are elected every three years. The Constitution prohibits the House of Representatives from having more than 250 members.

Electoral Systems Snapshot

(Courtesy of International IDEA)

*Click on links for definitions

WANT MORE ELECTION RELATED STATS FOR PHILIPPINES? Go to "election databases" on the left-hand menu of this page OR comparative data on the right-hand menu and choose your area of interest.

Politics of Philippines

(courtesy of wikipedia)

The political system in the Philippines takes place in an organized framework of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic whereby the president is both the head of state and the head of government within a pluriform multi-party system. This system revolves around three separate and sovereign yet interdependent branches: the legislative branch (the law-making body), the executive branch (the law-enforcing body), and the judicial branch (the law-interpreting body). Executive power is exercised by the government under the leadership of the president. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two-chamber congress - the Senate (the upper chamber) and the House of Representatives (the lower chamber). Judicial power is vested in the courts with the Supreme Court of the Philippines as the highest judicial body.

Most recent election

DID YOU KNOW?

“In the Philippines it is illegal to consume alcohol on polling day.”

(courtesy of wikipedia)

Legislative and local elections were held in the Philippines on May 14, 2007. Positions being contested include half the seats in the Senate, which are elected for six-year terms, and all the seats in the House of Representatives, who are elected for three-year terms. The duly elected legislators of the 2007 elections will join the elected senators of the 2004 elections and will comprise the 14th Congress of the Philippines. 

Most representatives win seats by being elected directly, the constituency being a geographical district comprising of about 250,000 voters. There are 220 seats in total for all the legislative districts.

Some representatives are elected under a party-list system. Only parties representing marginalized groups are allowed to run in the party-list election. To gain one seat, a party must win 2% of the vote. No party-list party may have more than 3 seats. After the election, in a controversial decision, COMELEC changed how it allocates the party-list seats. Under the new formula only one party will have the maximum 3 seats. It based its decision on a formula contained in a Supreme Court decision.

 Local elections for governor, vice governor, provincial board seats and mayoral, vice mayoral and city/municipal council seats in Metro Manila and the provinces are up for grabs as well.