Death penalty for election cheats

Death penalty for election cheats

MANILA (AFP): Philippine President Fidel Ramos yesterday called for legislation imposing the death penalty for election- related terrorism.

"Election terrorism must be considered as a heinous crime upon which should be (imposed) the death penalty," he told officials of the official watchdog Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Election-related violence is a constant feature of Philippines democracy. Scores of people were killed in the runup to the 1992 presidential, congressional and local government elections.

Comelec chairman Christian Monsod declined to comment on Ramos's proposal. "We will leave that up to congress because it is congress that should make a judgment on what are heinous crimes," he told reporters.