Manila: An international poll watchdog announced plans to send observers to the country for the May 13, 2013 midterm polls.

Political analyst Mon Casiple, who belongs to the Philippines-based Institute of Political and Electoral Reform (IPER), said delegates from other countries are expected to take part in the International Observers Mission for the 2013 mid-term polls.

The group have been organised under the group Compact for Peaceful and Democratic Elections (Compact).

Casiple said at least 25 observers have expressed their intention to take part in the mission.

Compact had conducted a similar mission in the Philippines in 2010 when they served as international watch group for the presidential elections. The participation of the group in the Philippines polls is largely voluntary and their findings are recommendatory in nature.

Casiple was quoted in television interviews as saying that the observers will be coming from the United States, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Thailand, Myanmar, Australia and Uganda. They will be in the Philippines for a period of five days.

In an earlier, statement, Compact said election monitoring “is increasingly the norm throughout the world.”

“Contrary to some assumptions, observation missions are not only conducted in countries with weak democracies. Increasingly, election observation missions are organised to create important spaces for people of different nationalities to learn from each other in their common advocacy to further democracy,” it said.

“How a country conducts its elections is a barometer of how mature its democracy and institutions are. The Philippines’ conduct of its recent elections shows that it is willing to tread that path. However, treading the path alone is not enough. That difficult journey requires the active participation of Filipino people willing to push for and realize these much needed electoral reforms,” it said.

For his part, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, a victim of electoral fraud, said the participation of foreign observers in the coming polls, contribute fair, credible and peaceful political exercise.

“This will show to the world that we can conduct our elections in an open and transparent manner and that we have nothing to hide,” said Pimentel.

Filipinos will be taking to the polls in May 13 to elect their next set of senators as well as provincial, and local leaders down to the town level.