Philippines: Late Dictator’s Son Ferdinand Marcos Jr Wins Presidential Election

Ferdinand Marcos Jr is the frontrunner in the election. 

(Photo: cfr.org)

Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, the son of late Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos, won a landslide presidential election victory on Tuesday, 10 May, bringing back the once exiled family back to power.

With more than 90 percent of an initial count concluded, Marcos Junior had secured almost 30 million votes, more than double the tally of his nearest rival, liberal candidate Vice President Leni Robredo, news agency AFP reported.

Marcos Senior and first lady Imelda Marcos had been chased into exile in 1986 by the "People Power" revolution.

Countering his family's exploitation of the country, Marcos Junior's campaign revolved around clearing his family's name through social media, and expressing support for the current authoritarian president Rodrigo Duterte, who had announced his retirement from politics in October last year.

The contest was largely between Robredo against Marcos Jr, with the former gaining around 14.5 million votes, despite championing human rights and reforms.

Meanwhile, boxer Manny Pacquiao appeared to have the third highest total votes of 3.5 million.

More than 60,000 security personnel were deployed to protect polling stations and election workers.

Delivering a late-night address from his campaign headquarters in Manila, Marcos Jr thanked volunteers for months of "sacrifices and work" but stated that "the count is not yet done", AFP reported.

"Let's wait until it's very clear, until the count reaches a hundred percent then we can celebrate," he added.

‘Press for the Truth’: Vice President Leni Robredo

Meanwhile, Robredo asked her supporters to continue to stand up and "press for the truth".

She was quoted as saying, "It took long for the structure of lies to be erected. We have the time and opportunity now to fight and dismantle this.”

Marcos Junior will take office on June 30 for a single, six-year term, inheriting an economy that has been crushed by the COVID-19 pandemic, along with long persisting hyperinflation, poverty, unemployment, rebellions and political divisions.