Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abbas’s appointment was unanimously approved by the Commission on Appointments.
The Commission on Appointments consists of the President of the Senate as ex-officio Chairman, 12 senators, and 12 members of the house of representatives.
The Commission on Appointments acts as a legislative check on the appointing authority of the President of the Philippines.
The Commission rules by a majority vote of all its members. The Chairman of the Commission on Appointments shall not vote except in case of a tie.
The New Comelec Chairman will become the Philippines youngest, first Comelec Chairman from Mindanao, and the first Muslim Comelec Chair.
The Comelec is one of the 3 constitutional commissions. The other 2 are the Commission on Civil Service and Commission on Audit.
Generally, the Commission on Elections which Comelec Chairman Sherrif Abbas now heads
has the following powers:
- Enforcement of election laws
- Deciding election contests
- Deciding administrative questions
- Deputization of law enforcement agencies
- Registration of political parties
- Improvement of elections
- Power to promulgate rules
- Supervision or regulation of franchises during the election period
- Power to recommend executive clemency for violation of election laws and regulations
- In special cases, the power to fix the election period
7 Things You Need To Know About Comelec Chairman Sherrif Abbas
- He is 39 years old
- He is the nephew of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal
- He is a Comelec Commissioner and previously headed the packing and shipping committee
- He is a Comelec provincial director in Maguindanao before he was appointed as a Comelec commissioner
- He was once a regional director of the Civil Service Commission
- He has a degree in philosophy from Notre Dame University in Cotabato City. He obtained this degree in 1999
- He has a law degree from the Ateneo de Davao. He obtained this degree in 2004.