Sinabi ng Commission on Elections (Comelec) na puwede pang magwithdraw ng kandidatura ang mga tatakbo sa susunod na taon bago ang mismong araw ng eleksyon.
Gayunman, sinabi ni Comelec Spokesperson James JImenez na hindi na puwedeng magkaroon ng substitute ang mga voluntary withdrawals.
“Withdrawal is a matter of right. You can withdraw at any time. The issue is whether you can be replaced or substituted,” ani Jimenez nitong Lunes, Nob. 15.
After this date, you can only be substituted if withdrawal is involuntary, which means death or disqualification. You cannot be substituted if you voluntarily withdrew,” aniya pa.
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“If you were involuntarily withdrawn, meaning you died or disqualified, you can be substituted…No longer necessary to be a partymate or relative, as long as they have the same surname,” dagdag pa ng spokesperson.
Kaugnay nito, sinabi ng Kontra Daya sa mga kandidato sa national post na nagwithdraw ng kanilang kandidatura mula sa isang partido o pumalit sa isang kandidato ay dapat maging "transparent."
“In the spirit of transparency, they should fully disclose when they resigned from their erstwhile party and when they took their oath as members of the new one,” ayon sa pahayag ng grupo
“While Sara Duterte’s resignation from HnP (Hugpong ng Pagbabago) and oath-taking with Lakas are publicly known, we cannot say the same for Rodrigo Duterte and Bong Go. If they are indeed transparent as public officials, they should fully disclose when they resigned from PDP-Laban and when they took their oath as members of Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS),” dagdag pa nito.
