MANILA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and 15 others wounded during a shooting incident before midnight Sunday at a polling center in Cotabato City, Maguindanao del Norte province in southern Philippines.
The shooting occurred ahead of the parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which started on Monday to choose its first elected parliament.
According to local police, rival political factions struggled for position in the queue for polls, leading to shoving, fistfights, and eventually gunfire in the crowded area.
According to local media reports, over 2 million voters are eligible to vote for 80 parliamentary seats being contested by 13 parties. Security has been stepped up across the BARMM in recent days, with over 20,000 security personnel deployed to polling areas and rapid response teams set up to deal with potential violence. ■