Comelec declares Guiani-Sayadi reelected Cotabato City mayor, Matabalao refuses to step down

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has declared lawyer Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi as the reelected mayor of Cotabato City following an electoral protest over irregularities in the May 2022 local elections.

Incumbent Mayor Mohammad Ali 'Bruce' Matabalao, despite receiving Comelec's decision, refuses to vacate his post and asserts that he remains the legally elected mayor while exhausting all legal remedies.

Guiani-Sayadi leads Matabalao by 5,254 votes after excluding results from the annulled precincts.

Both candidates are seeking a second term in the upcoming May 12 local elections as the legal dispute continues.

Meanwhile, Datu Armando Mastura Jr. took his oath of office on Wednesday as the new mayor of Sultan Mastura, Maguindanao del Norte, after winning an electoral recount with just eight votes more than Dr. Zulficar Panda.