MARCOS DECLARES HE'LL CALL A VOTE EARLY NEXT YEAR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000504660003-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 24, 2012
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: November 4, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/27: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504660003-1
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MARCOS DECLARES
HE'LL CALL A VOTE
EARLY NEXT YEAR
NEW YORK TIMES
4 November 1985
By SETH MYDANS
Special to The New Ynrk Times
MANILA, Nov. 3 - President Ferdi
nand E. Marcos announced today that
he intended to call for an early presi-
dential election to settle what he called
a "silly claim" that his Government is
inept.
His announcement in an American
television interview followed pressure
from Washington for changes in his
country's policies, and seemed to re-
verse earlier assertions that he
planned to serve out his six-year term,
which ends in 1987, without an election.
After the interview on the ABC News
program "This Week," he told report-
ers he would like to begin the campaign
in December and hold the vote on Jan.
17.
Parliament's Approval
But he said such questions would
first be discussed at a caucus of party
leaders next weekend. And he was
careful to say, at each mention of his
plan, that it would be subject to the
decision of the Parliament, the Bata-
san. It would be possible for the legisla-
ture, heavily dominated by Marcos fol-
lowers, to block an election if he so de-
sired.
[In Washington, the Philippine
Embassy issued a news release con-
firming that Mr. Marcos intended to
hold elections next January. The em-
bassy also issued the text of a
planned presidential decree that
would allow Mr. Marcos to call a spe-
cial election without resigning from
office. Opposition politicians have
charged that as long as he stays in of-
fice Mr. Marcos has the power to rig
the elections.]
Broadcast in Philippines
Asked during the program if an elec-
tion could now be expected in January
or February, Mr. Marcos said: "Yes, if
I can convince the Batasan, and I think
I can. We control two-thirds of the
membership."
The interview from Malacanang Pal-
ace was broadcast live in the Philip-
pines on the Government television sta- In the last week, Congressional and
tion. Administration officials in Washington
The President said he expected the have reported that the Communist in-
candidate of the moderate opposition surgency is growing rapidly and that
the country is headed toward civil war.
coalition to be either former Senator They have said they are dissatisfied
Salvador H. Laurel or Corazon Aquino, with Mr. Marcos's responses to their
the widow of the slain opposition leader warnings. The chairman of the Senate
Benign S. Aquino Jr. Select Committee on n e ence,
He told his television interviewers P Dave uren rger, enu can of
that American members of Congress
and others would be invited to observe
the voting, and he called allegations of
fraud in previous elections "sour
grapes ' and "a publicity stunt."
"If all these childish claims to popu-
larity on both sides have to be settled, I
think we'd better settle it by calling an
election right now, or say give every-
body 60 days to campaign and to bring
the issues to the people," he said. "I'm
ready, I'm ready."
He told reporters he did not want to
include a vice presidential candidate in
the early election, which he said should
be confined to the question of his own
mandate.
American pressure on him for elec-
tions is largely aimed at establishing a
successor, something Mr. Marcos has'
resisted. -
Responding to questions, Mr. Marcos
implied that his promised reinstate-
ment of Gen. Fabian C. Ver as Chief of
Staff of the armed' forces was likely to
be temporary. He has been strongly
urged by Americans not to reinstate
General Ver. if, as expected, the gen-
eral is acquitted of involvement in Mr.
Aquino's assassination.
"I have given my word of honor that ;
if he is acquitted he will be reinstated,
but I never promised how long he was
going to stay," Mr. Marcos said."
Mr. Marcos also denied American re-
ports that the Soviet Union has in-
creased the size of its embassy in the
Philippines, and said there is no evi-
dence that the Russians have at-
tempted to make contact with insur-
gents.
Probing Americans' Killings
The President also denied a charge
by the American Ambassador, Stephen
W. Bosworth, that the killers of 15
Americans who have died here over the
last two years had not been brought to
justice.
"All these cases have been investi-
gated," he said, adding that if light sen-
tences were passed in some cases, that
was the prerogative of an independent
judiciary.
American pressure on Mr. Marcos
has mounted sharply in the last two
weeks since a visit here by Senator
Paul Laxalt, Republican of Nevada, a
personal envoy of President Reagan,,
who brought a message of concern that
Mr. Marcos is failing to deal with his
nation's crises.
to call on Mr. Marcos to step down.
Many of Mr. Marcos's American
critics have urged him to call early
elections, to give his opponents a legiti-!
mate avenue of expression and to gain
a public mandate for his continued
leadership.
Election Mention in August
In early August, Mr. Marcos said he
was considering calling an election this
year. but later that month appeared to
have decided against it.
Opposition politicians have remained
skeptical and have continued to pre-
pare for an announcement like the one
made tonight.
Under existing regulations, Mr. Mar-
cos would have to step down as Presi-
dent before calling for early elections.
He seemed to open the possibility of a
different procedure, however, when he
said it might be sufficient for the Par-
liament to include new wording in a
pending election code for early elec-
tions.
Under current wording, he said,
early elections can be called if the
President is permanently disabled,
dies, is removed from office or resigns.
A fifth instance could be added to
allow a sitting President to bring a fun-
damental issue to a vote, as in a parlia-
mentary system, he said.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/27: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504660003-1