MANILA, Philippines — The namesake son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos appeared to have been elected Philippine president by a landslide in an astonishing reversal of the 1986 “Individuals Energy” pro-democracy revolt that booted his father into world infamy.
Marcos Jr. had greater than 30.5 million votes within the unofficial outcomes with greater than 96% of the votes tabulated in a single day after Monday’s election. His nearest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, a champion of human rights and reforms, had 14.5 million, and boxing nice Manny Pacquiao appeared to have the third highest complete with 3.5 million.
His operating mate, Sara Duterte, the daughter of the outgoing chief and mayor of southern Davao metropolis, had a formidable lead within the vice presidential race, which is separate from the presidential race.
The alliance of the scions of two authoritarian leaders mixed the voting energy of their households’ political strongholds within the north and south however compounded worries of human rights activists.
Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte averted unstable points throughout their marketing campaign and steadfastly caught as an alternative to a battle cry of nationwide unity, though their fathers’ presidencies opened a few of the most turbulent divisions within the nation’s historical past.
Marcos Jr. has not claimed victory however thanked his supporters in a late-night “tackle to the nation” video, the place he urged them to remain vigilant till the vote rely is accomplished.
“If we’ll be lucky, I’ll count on that your assist is not going to wane, your belief is not going to wane as a result of we’ve numerous issues to do within the occasions forward,” he stated.
Robredo has not conceded defeat however acknowledged the large Marcos Jr. lead within the unofficial rely. She advised her supporters the combat for reforms and democracy received’t finish with the elections.
“The voice of the folks is getting clearer and clearer,” she stated. “Within the title of the Philippines, which I do know you additionally love so dearly, we should always hear this voice as a result of ultimately, we solely have this one nation to share.”
She requested her supporters to proceed to face up: “Press for the reality. It took lengthy for the construction of lies to be erected. Now we have the time and alternative now to combat and dismantle this.”
The election winner will take workplace on June 30 for a single, six-year time period as chief of a Southeast Asian nation hit onerous by two years of COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns and long-troubled by crushing poverty, gaping inequalities, Muslim and communist insurgencies and deep political divisions.
The subsequent president may even possible face calls for to prosecute outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte for hundreds of killings throughout his anti-drug crackdown – deaths already below investigation by the Worldwide Prison Courtroom.
Marcos Jr., a 64-year-old former provincial governor, congressman and senator, held a large lead in pre-election surveys. However Robredo had tapped into shock and outrage over the prospect of a Marcos recapturing the seat of energy and harnessed a community of marketing campaign volunteers to underpin her candidacy.
After his ouster by the largely peaceable 1986 rebellion, the elder Marcos died in 1989 whereas in exile in Hawaii with out admitting any wrongdoing, together with accusations that he, his household and cronies amassed an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion whereas he was in energy. A Hawaii courtroom later discovered him chargeable for human rights violations and awarded $2 billion from his property to compensate greater than 9,000 Filipinos who filed a lawsuit towards him for torture, incarceration, extrajudicial killings and disappearances.
His widow, Imelda Marcos, and their youngsters had been allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991 and labored on a shocking political comeback, helped by a well-funded social media marketing campaign to refurbish the household title.
Marcos Jr. has defended the legacy of his father and steadfastly refused to acknowledge and apologize for the large human rights violations and plunder below his father’s strongman rule.
Officers stated Monday’s election was comparatively peaceable regardless of pockets of violence within the nation’s unstable south that killed at the very least 4 folks within the nation’s unstable south. Hundreds of police and navy personnel had been deployed to safe election precincts, particularly in rural areas with a historical past of violent political rivalries.
Filipinos stood in lengthy strains to forged their ballots, with the beginning of voting delayed by just a few hours in just a few areas as a result of malfunctioning vote machines, energy outages, unhealthy climate and different issues.
Except for the presidency, greater than 18,000 authorities posts had been on the poll, together with half of the 24-member Senate, greater than 300 seats within the Home of Representatives, in addition to provincial and native workplaces throughout the archipelago.
Within the 2016 vice presidential race, Robredo defeated Marcos Jr. by a slender margin of their first political faceoff. He waged a years-long authorized battle towards her victory, alleging fraud, that acquired defeated however he by no means conceded.