The National Assembly passed a special prosecutor bill to investigate the National Election Commission (NEC)'s shortage of ballots and other issues. The special prosecutor will operate for up to 170 days, investigating the June 3 local elections ballot shortage incident, suspicions of the NEC's poor election management, procedural illegality in the decision-making process for reducing ballot printing sizes, and more. It will also investigate corruption related to the operation of the agency, including overseas trips by NEC employees, improper hiring, and preferential treatment. However, the ruling and opposition parties are at odds over the scope of the investigation. While the People Power Party argues that it could be expanded to include past elections, the Democratic Party believes it should be limited to the June 3 local elections. The method of recommending a special prosecutor is also expected to become a point of contention between the ruling and opposition parties.
