Updated

Philippine election officials have challenged Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to prove his allegations of irregularities in the counting of votes for vice president, where he has been overtaken by his closest rival.

They rejected for the meantime Marcos' request that an unofficial tally by an accredited citizens' watchdog be stopped.

The son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos had initially led the partial, unofficial count by the watchdog known by its acronym PPCRV. But as of Wednesday afternoon, administration candidate Rep. Leni Robredo is leading by more than 230,000 votes, putting her 0.6 points ahead of Marcos.

If Marcos wins, that would put him a step away from the presidency 30 years after his father was ousted by a public uprising amid allegations of plunder and widespread human rights abuses.