Philippine Senate sets 14-vote threshold in Duterte trial

The Philippine Senate impeachment court ruled Wednesday that 14 votes, rather than 16, are needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, counting only senator-judges able to participate in the trial toward the constitutionally required two-thirds majority. Four of the 24 senator-judges have been unable to take part and cannot vote, according to reports on the ruling. The decision changes the number of votes prosecutors must secure for a conviction. The court’s ruling addresses how the two-thirds threshold is calculated when some senator-judges cannot participate; it does not decide the allegations against Duterte. The trial’s outcome remains unresolved. Duterte spokesperson Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. said the ruling violated the Constitution and her due-process rights. He said Duterte would participate with reservation while her defense pursued available legal remedies. Her lawyers also said she reserved the right to seek legal remedies and would continue to seek what they described as a fair and impartial trial. The reports gave differing accounts of the vote on the threshold. One account said 13 lawmakers supported the ruling, six did not participate and one opposed it.