The political temperature rose in the Philippines yesterday as President Gloria Macapagal Arro-yo's lead over an action-movie hero shrank and the slow vote count fanned accusations of cheating and fears of destabilization.
Police deployed a 1,000-strong anti-riot force yesterday around the Malacanang presidential complex, ready to break up protests by supporters of Arroyo's rivals in the May 10 elections. An unofficial tally by the independent watchdog, National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), showed Arroyo's lead over matinee idol Fernando Poe shrinking to just 4 percent as of Friday -- 41 percent to 37 percent, with the remainder split among three other candidates.
Arroyo was leading Poe by 14 percent on Monday.
NAMFREL, whose "quick count" of the ballots has mirrored the official result in past elections, said it expects to count 60 percent of the ballots by Saturday morning.
"It is sad that 11 days after election day, it is still unclear who has won," said political strategist Angelito Banayo, who is also a spokesman for Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former national police chief running third in the unofficial count.
Banayo warned the slow count could actually fuel political instability, giving some groups an excuse to claim they were cheated and take their cause to the streets.
The two houses of Congress will resume a joint session on Monday to start the official vote tally in the presidential and vice presidential race and hope to proclaim winners early next month.
Analysts said all elected officials from the president down to town councilors should take their oaths of office by June 30 or the country could spiral into a constitutional crisis and invite a military intervention.
"Congress should declare a winner before June 12," political analyst Earl Parreno said.
"There are so many potential dangers lurking around as the count drags on. There are groups waiting in the wings to take advantage of the situation," he said.
Parreno said Congress has a tough job of finishing its official count in a week's time to dispel a public perception that the elections were dirty and not credible. Otherwise, whoever emerges the winner will face the same legitimacy problems.
"There will be another six years of destabilization unless the entire electoral process is proven clean and honest," he said.
Only Raul Roco, a former education secretary in Arroyo's Cabinet who is running fifth and last in unofficial vote count, has conceded defeat, congratulating Arroyo on her imminent victory.
Her three other rivals, including television evangelist Eddie Villanueva, have refused to give up and accused Arroyo's camp of having cheated in the polls.
Last Wednesday, Poe went on a two-day trip to the southern island of Mindanao, declaring himself the winner.
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