Coin toss breaks tie in polls for Philippine mayor

A coin toss has decided the winner of the position of mayor in a central Philippines town after two candidates received the same number of votes.

Marvic Feraren triumphed over Boyet Py from San Teodoro town in Mindoro Oriental province after both had received 3,236 votes in Monday's poll.

Election officials had proposed they settle the deadlock by flipping a coin.

Under the election code, a tie can be settled by drawing of lots. Coin tosses are also acceptable.

"They agreed to a coin toss, with the candidate getting the most heads proclaimed the winner," San Teodoro election chief, Reny Pagilagan, was quoted by Agence-France Presse (AFP) as saying.

Mr Feraren from President Benigno Aquino's Liberal Party won the toss at the second attempt - a first round of tosses saw each candidate getting two heads each.

"Both of them accepted the result. They shook hands and embraced," Mr Pagilagan added.

This is not the first time that a coin toss to settle an election tie has happened. Mr Pagilagan also told AFP that he oversaw a coin toss in 2004 between two local politicians from a nearby town.

The mid-term elections in the Philippines saw 18,000 positions filled in local and national posts.