Opposition ahead in Philippine congress race-poll

Manila, Apr 5: Opposition candidates are ahead of pro-government figures in the contest for seats in the Philippines' lower house of Congress, a survey by local pollster Social Weather Station (SWS) showed this week.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo could face impeachment if the opposition wins one-third of the 266 seats in the House of Representatives in congressional elections on May 14.

The SWS poll of 1,200 adults -- the first major survey of voters' preferences for the lower house -- showed that 36 per cent would vote for opposition candidates while 28 per cent would support administration figures.

The face-to-face survey was carried out between February 24-27 before official campaigning for the lower-house kicked off on March 30. Half of the 24 seats of the upper house and almost 18,000 positions in local government are also up for grabs.

There was no reason for the delay in reporting the SWS poll results.

Arroyo, whose term runs out in 2010, defeated two impeachment attempts against her because she held an overwhelming majority in the lower house. Only 51 lawmakers voted to impeach her in 2005 and that number dwindled to 32 last year.

But around 60 of her supporters are ineligible for re-election, creating a golden opportunity for her opponents, who accuse her of cheating in the 2004 presidential election.

A previous SWS survey showed that 9 of the 12 Senate slots would go to the opposition and independents, leaving only seven members of the 24-seat upper house overtly pro-Arroyo.

If the lower house voted for an impeachment trial it would be held by the upper house, where a two-thirds vote could remove her from office. But many senators are political chameleons and their support for a particular person or party cannot be guaranteed.

Some analysts expect the administration, which has the money and machinery to garner votes, to retain its majority in the lower house. Even if they don't, some argue the opposition is not unified enough to mount a strong campaign against Arroyo.

Reuters