First results showed that Ferdinand (“Bongbong”) Marcos Jr., son of the late dictator, is on track to win the presidential election in the Philippines on Monday by a wide margin, following a campaign in tandem with Sarah Duterte, daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte. .
Partial and unofficial results, accounting for 77 per cent of the country’s election results, show Marcos won more than 25 million votes, putting him on track to head an administration that will unite two of the country’s leading political dynasties.
That’s more than twice the nearly 12 million won by Leni Robredo, Marcos’ closest rival, a progressive candidate who promised to break with the country’s increasingly authoritarian government. Sarah Duterte led her closest rival, Vice President Kiko Pangilinan, by an even bigger margin.
Monday’s election, however, was marked by malfunctions in the counting machines, which left many Filipinos in line for hours or unable to cast their ballots.
Participation, a coalition of NGOs and academic institutions, said the mistakes in the vote had “led to many Filipinos being unable to vote and probably being disenfranchised”.
“From 19:00 [on] “On May 9, 2022, the queues in front of the polling stations are still long in many parts of the country,” the group said in a statement. “Many of these voters wait in line from 5 to 10 o’clock to vote.
Late Monday, Marcos issued a video of “thanks” to his supporters, but failed to declare victory, saying the vote count was not over.
If the 64-year-old Marcos is confirmed as the winner, it will mark the political rehabilitation of a family that ruled one of Asia’s most famous dictatorships. It will also raise the fortunes of 43-year-old Sarah Duterte, who overtook all rivals, including Marcos, for the presidency before deciding to run with him.
Robredo, 57, struggled to win Marcos as vice president in the 2016 election that brought Rodrigo Duterte to power, and was a vocal critic during the latter’s term. Her campaign has won enthusiastic support from ordinary people as a platform to restore confidence in government and boost the economy.
“We are not just replacing the above position; it is an informal referendum on Duterte’s politics and politics, “said Aries Arugai, a professor of political science at Diliman University in the Philippines. “It is clear that one campaign seeks to continue what Duterte started, and one really wants a paradigm shift in the way politics is conducted.
Earlier Monday in a polling station in Quezon City, part of Greater Manila, people lined up around the bloc to vote, some dressed in Marcos’ campaign red or Robredo’s pink.
“The country deserves better governance,” said business owner Winston Manabat, who voted for Robredo and believed he could win.
Kenneth Lim, a technician, said he supported Marcos because “he will bring change to our country, to the economy.” He said: “I think he will do as well as his father.
Analysts say Marcos’ popularity has been fueled by a careful campaign to turn his father’s dictatorship into a golden age of prosperity, even though billions of dollars have been looted from state funds and the Philippines has stopped paying off debt during his rule.
The Marcos family fled to Hawaii in 1986 after facing the Power of the People mass protests, and Ferdinand died there in 1989, but Imelda Marcos, the dictator’s widow, Marcos Jr., and his sister, Imee Marcos, returned to The Philippines has been rebuilding its political base ever since.
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Victims of the Marcos regime have tried unsuccessfully to block Marcos’ candidacy by petitioning the country’s election commission based on a previous tax ruling.
A group of more than 1,400 Catholic priests, calling themselves the Clergy for Moral Choice, supported Robredo, condemning what they called “false, deceptive and manipulative allegations aimed at reconsidering the history of our country.”
“It’s not just about candidates, it’s about values, truth, freedom of expression, and people are misled by misinformation,” said Father June Cescon, one of the priests supporting Robredo. The priests felt obliged to be the voice of truth.
Analysts say they expect the next government, independent of its leader, to continue pursuing growth policies similar to those of Duterte.
“They are very silent about any political statements because they are in charge so far,” said John Morales, associate director of Vriens & Partners, a government consulting firm. “But most believe they will leave the wheels of the economy to competent people.”
But Morales added that he expects to see “specific sectors being distributed almost as gifts”, which “will close competition in some sectors by creating various subtle barriers”.
Additional reports by Gil Ramos
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