Philippines elections: Son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos wins presidential race – after family forced into exile | World News

The son of the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos won the country’s presidential election.

It was the first victory by a majority in the country since the 1986 revolution that led to his late father’s two-decade-long dictatorship.

Ferdinand Marcos Jnr overcame challenges from both human rights lawyer and current vice president Leni Robredo.

An unofficial tally showed that Marcos, more commonly known as BongBong, had passed the 27.5 million votes needed for a
majority, setting the stage for the once unimaginable return to rule of the Marcos family, 36 years after its humiliation
withdrew into exile in a “people’s” uprising.

And on Monday night, according to the unofficial Election Commission (COMELEC) tally, Marcos Jr had 29.9 million votes, double that of vice president Leni Robredo, with 93.8% of the vote. Validity is checked.

“I hope you won’t get tired of trusting us,” Marcos told supporters in comments streamed on Facebook, a core cornerstone of his political strategy.

“We have a lot of work to do,” he said, adding that “it’s a big effort as long as it doesn’t involve one person.”

Despite the decline in grace, the Marcos family returned from exile in the 1990s and remained a powerful force in politics, retaining their influence with their vast fortunes and political assets. extensive relationship.

Mr. Marcos Jr has refused to acknowledge the human rights abuses and unexplained wealth his family amassed during his father’s dictatorship and during his election campaign and has called for call national unity.

Previously, he served as governor, congressman and senator, his sister, Imee, now a senator, and his mother Imelda, an influential power broker and widow of the late dictator , has served four terms in parliament.

Marcos Jr’s son Ferdinand Alexander is also expected to win a seat in Congress.

The winner of the presidential election will take office on June 30 for a single six-year term as the leader of a Southeast Asian country hit hard by two years. COVID-19 flare and lock the door.

Further challenging issues include deeper poverty and unemployment and decades-long Muslim and communist uprisings.

The new president is also likely to hear requests to prosecute outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte for thousands of murders during his anti-drug campaign – deaths that have been investigated by the International Criminal Court.

Fear of human rights

Duterte’s daughter, the mayor of the southern city of Davao Sara Duterte, is the vice president running for Marcos Jnr – an alliance of two descendants of the two authoritarian leaders whose character is linked to human rights groups. permission.

The tie combined the voting power of their separate northern and southern political strongholds, boosting their chances, but adding to rights activists’ fears.

In an unofficial vote count from the Election Commission late on Monday, Sara Duterte also took a strong lead in the vice presidential election, with more than 23.3 million votes cast.

Form a long queue

Officials said the election was relatively peaceful despite violence in the volatile south of the country.

Thousands of police and military personnel have been deployed to secure constituencies, especially in rural areas with a history of violent political confrontation.

Filipinos have lined up to cast their ballots, with the start of voting delayed by several hours in some areas due to voting machine malfunctions, power cuts, bad weather and other problems.

Eight others are also in the running for the presidency, including former boxing star Manny Pacquiao, Manila mayor Isko Moreno and former national police chief Panfilo Lacson.