In the Philippines, a midterm election will be a duel between the ruling dynasties

It was under oppressive heat that some Filipino voters went to the polls this Monday, May 12. The temperature recorded rose to 45°C in some places. In fact, notes the Philippine Daily Inquirer , 28 areas of the country are experiencing excessive and potentially dangerous temperatures, ranging between 42 and 51°C.

Extreme heat, which, according to the chairman of the Electoral Commission, George Garcia, would explain the malfunctions reported on certain voting machines, writes The Manila Times .

Indeed, at midday, observers from the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), a citizen-led body of the Electoral Commission, reported a significant number of incidents, particularly involving voting machines, as well as irregularities in the number of ballots recorded, but also invalid ballots and long queues, the Philippine Star daily reported .

Moreover, in addition to the heat, the chairman of the Commission on Elections blames, according to the Manila Times , part of the malfunctions on the “increasing number of voters,” leading to the machines being clogged. More than 68 million Filipinos are called to the polls to