Philippines election

Duterte did not endorse a presidential candidate, but his party backs frontrunners Marcos and his running mate, Duterte's daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio. "We are ...

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Filipinos will vote on Monday to choose President Rodrigo Duterte's successor, a vice president, 12 senators, hundreds of congressmen, and thousands of ...

Advertisement Advertisement

Ferdinand Marcos Jr leads polls but analysts point to huge rallies of his opponent and the vice president, Leni Robredo.

“We are committed … to ensure that we have a secure, accurate, free and fair elections tomorrow,” he said. Marcos, whose slogan is “together we shall rise again”, has campaigned with a message of unity and hope. “We are ready for any contingencies,” the armed forces chief, Lt Genl Andres Centino, told a media briefing. “Hopefully [the result] will be settled sooner because that lends itself to a more stable transition.” Marcos is trailed in the polls by Leni Robredo, the current vice-president and a human rights lawyer who has advocated for marginalised groups. Marcos Jr, known as “Bongbong”, whose authoritarian father plundered billions of dollars from the state and presided over rife human rights abuses, has maintained a strong lead in opinion polls in the run-up to Monday’s vote.

The race for the presidency will significantly shape the state of the country — and indeed, Philippine democracy — for many years to come.

By the time this article is printed, the world will know who the next President of the Philippines will be. And students, as amongst those with the highest stake in the election outcome, will be a force to be reckoned with. Similar to Honi Soit, the Philippine Collegian is student-funded and has a long history of progressivism and activism. You also vote for what they can do in the future.” Although much of activists’ efforts are directed towards the upcoming elections, Dira also describes the vital state of student activism more broadly, especially in organising protests and rallies for various issues on campus and in its surrounding communities. With both the passion to participate in physical campaigns, as well as the digital literacy to navigate the treacherous waters of social media, young people are well placed to support Robredo. Students have also been on the frontlines to push back against the growing popularity of Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte, in various capacities. “Students are also the main campaigners for this election, since they are the ones who do house-to-house campaigning. Dira also says that the Philippines is “lagging behind” in terms of its education system, with students returning lower results in key competencies. For many of us here at the University of Sydney, the first thought that comes to mind are the upcoming federal elections in the next two weeks. Under his leadership, the country has suffered greatly; his so-called ‘drug war’ has led to thousands of deaths from extra-judicial killings and a number of human rights abuses, and his mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic has created a host of health and economic issues for the country. The Marcos regime, which lasted more than twenty years from 1965 to 1986, is widely considered to be one of the darkest periods in the country’s history.

The son of late Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos wrapped up his presidential election campaign on Saturday with a raucous rally of hundreds of thousands ...

As the opposition vice president, who was separately elected from Duterte, she condemned the killings of mostly poor drug suspects as part of his crackdown, angering the brash-talking leader and straining their ties for years. Once the polls close, counting gets under way immediately, and the candidate with the most votes wins. Marcos Jr. has defended his father’s legacy and steadfastly refuses to apologize for and acknowledge the atrocities and plunder during the dictatorship. Her advocacies center on defending human rights and empowering the poor partly by teaching them their legal rights. His mother, Imelda Marcos, twice unsuccessfully attempted to retake the seat of power after returning with her children to the Philippines from exile in the United States, where her husband died in 1989. Throughout his campaign, he tenaciously stuck to a battle cry of national unity.

The Philippines will elect a new president on May 9. President Rodrigo Duterte is leaving office with a reputation for brutality. Watch this report to know ...

Thirty-five-year-old Mary Grace Glorioso is watching Facebook and YouTube to get news about the Philippines presidential race. She has narrowed her choice to ...

Observers say revisionist history is part of a trend on social media to accompany positive posts about Marcos Jr. and negative ones for Robredo. The Golden Days is a common theme on social media, referring to the period from the mid-1960s to the mid-80s, when Marcos’ father, the late dictator was president. One is Leni Robredo, the current vice president, but Glorioso is leaning toward the heavy frontrunner, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., because of what she hears about him on social media.

MANILA -- Leading Philippine presidential candidates wrapped up a grueling three-month campaign on Saturday as they made their final pitches to voters.

The election pits Vice President Leni Robredo against former senator and congressman Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of a dictator whose 20-year rule ...

The Marcos camp has denied running misinformation campaigns. In a commentary, author and political analyst Richard Heydarian said the stakes are higher than any other election in recent years, with Marcos likely to overhaul the constitution to entrench his power if he wins, and Robredo in a position to prevent a “Marcosian hegemony”. Marcos has steered clear of debates and has campaigned on a message of optimism and unity, on Saturday telling hundreds of thousands of supporters that he dreamed of a “victory of unity of the entire Philippines”. “It’s our right to have a future with dignity and it’s our job to fight for it,” she said, to chants of “Leni, Leni”. The vote also presents an opportunity for Marcos to avenge his acrimonious loss to Robredo in the 2016 vice presidential election, a narrow defeat by just 200,000 votes that he sought unsuccessfully to overturn. MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines votes on Monday in its most divisive presidential election in decades, with the prospect of a once unthinkable return to rule of the Marcos family, 36 years after they were toppled in a “people power” uprising.

People gather outside a voting centre as polls open in the Philippine elections on May 9, 2022. · John Tristan Bulacan, 18, a first-time voter in the Philippine ...

The presidential election on Monday is largely perceived as a two-way race between Bongbong, 64, and former human rights lawyer Leni, 57, who emerged as the top two contenders in nationwide surveys. “I am also happy to be finally part of the voting public. I feel a bit nervous as I am still not so familiar with the process, which is different due to the pandemic. That is why this is important to me because I want us to have leaders who will lead the country well. Particularly for the poor, they need change.” There are 1.69 million others overseas.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr, known as Bongbong, favourite to win the high-stakes race and restore his family to the pinnacle of power.

Marcos’ biggest threat is Leni Robredo, the current vice-president and a former pro bono human rights lawyer, who has promised good and competent governance. Imelda Marcos, infamous for her collection of 3,000 pairs of shoes, is appealing against a 2018 criminal conviction on seven graft charges. Opinion surveys suggest Marcos Jr, known as Bongbong, is poised to win the election, despite his family’s notorious history of human rights abuses and corruption.

Philippine voters began casting their ballots in a presidential election that could see the only son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos take ...

Voting was underway in the Philippines Monday to elect a new president, with the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos the favourite to win the ...

In the Philippines the winner only has to get more votes than anyone else. After a bitter campaign season, polls showed Marcos Jr heading for a landslide. He had a double-digit lead over Robredo in the latest surveys and she will need a low turnout or a late surge of support to get over the line.

MANILA -- Filipinos are heading to the polls on Monday, after months of festive and fierce campaigning in the country's presidential election. On the.

The Philippines holds an election on Monday for a new president, pitting incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo against Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son of a ...

Notable was Duterte publicly thanking politician and Marcos Jr's sister, Imee, for funding his campaign - which she later dismissed as a joke. Marcos is seen as the candidate closer to China and could benefit from its business interests. Continuity with Duterte is expected, for example on key infrastructure projects. However, a Robredo presidency would probably run into turbulence. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

A voter after casting a ballot at a polling precinct during the national elections in Manila, on May 9, 2022. · Mr Ferdinand Marcos Jr votes at Mariano Marcos ...

Mr Marcos Jr is seen as the candidate closer to China and could benefit from its business interests. Notable was Mr Duterte publicly thanking politician and Mr Marcos Jr’s sister, Imee, for funding his campaign – which she later dismissed as a joke. While her father has not endorsed Mr Marcos Jr, or any other candidate, he is almost certain to absorb some of the outgoing president's support. Critics say him winning the presidency is the Marcos family's endgame in whitewashing its past and changing narratives of authoritarianism, plunder and opulent living. His closest rival is Mrs Leni Robredo, 57, who beat Mr Marcos Jr in the 2016 vice-presidential election. Continuity with Mr Duterte is expected, for example on key infrastructure projects. However, a Robredo presidency would probably run into turbulence. Each voter must select one candidate for each post, from president, vice-president and senate, all the way down to their local district councillors. Mrs Robredo has been a staunch critic of the president’s lethal methods of fighting drugs and crime and would be more likely to enable investigations into Mr Duterte. Millions of Filipinos have either settled or taken jobs overseas. The election commission is aiming to announce most of the winners by the end of May and those will soon after be confirmed by a proclamation of the current legislature. Mr Ferdinand Marcos Jr, 64, the son and namesake of the dictator overthrown in a 1986 "people power" uprising, has been the clear leader in all opinion polls this year.

Mr Ferdinand Marcos Jr leads his nearest rival, Vice-President Leni Robredo, by over 30 percentage points in opinion polls. PHOTOS: REUTERS.

Close to 2 million who are living overseas have already cast their ballots. “We have lawyers on standby. In the race to be vice-president, Ms Sara Duterte-Carpio, 46, Mr Marcos Jr's running mate and outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte's daughter, is forecast to likewise win by a landslide with a lead of over 40 percentage points over the second-placer, Senate President Tito Sotto, 73. Mr Benjamin Esguerra, 74, a pensioner, said he voted for Ms Robredo “because of all the candidates, she’s the one who is most well-known for her track record and her achievements”. But he said his wife, who is a member of the influential Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), likely voted for Mr Marcos Jr. Mr Marcos Jr represents the stunning return to power of a family that court records and historical accounts hold responsible for mass killings and institutionalised kleptocracy during the 20-year reign of his father that ended in 1986, when a military-backed civilian revolt forced the Marcoses to flee the Philippines.

Volodymyr Zelensky made the claims in a video address released about an hour before Russian president Vladimir Putin was to preside over a military parade in ...

The son of a former dictator may win more than half the votes to become the first presidential candidate to secure an absolute majority in decades, ...

More than 60,000 security personnel have been deployed to protect polling stations and election workers. Three security guards were also killed in Buluan municipality on restive Mindanao island in the southern Philippines on Monday when gunmen opened fire at a polling station, according to AFP news agency. Both Bongbong and Sara Duterte have said they are best qualified to "unify" the country. Elections in the Philippines are frequently marred by violence. During the campaign, Marcos has tried to recast his father's legacy as comparable to former U.S. president John F. Kennedy's family in its glamor. Robredo, a 57-year-old lawyer and economist, will need a low turnout or a late surge of support to score an upset.

Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr and his running mate Sara Duterte, President Rodrigo Duterte's daughter, hold a commanding lead in opinion ...