Filipino ex-president Duterte elected mayor of Davao in elections in the sign of Family President with President

Former president Rodrigo Duterte, according to provisional results with a majority, was elected mayor of Davao, the third city of the Philippines in the south of the country. His son Sebastian, the current mayor, has been elected deputy mayor and is expected to act as acting mayor.

The profit confirms that the former president Still one of the most popular leaders was in Philippines, despite its arrest and extradition to the International Criminal Court in The Hague for crimes against humanity to which his crusade would have led against drug trafficking. For the Duterte family, the result means that it retains power in the south of the Philippines.

This Monday, 68 million voters were able to choose twelve senators (of the twenty -four) and more than 18,000 regional governors, mayors and aldermen. The elections were mainly a showdown between the two most powerful families of the Philippines, the Marcos Dynasty, led by President Ferdinand Marcos Junior, son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and the Duterte family.

The end of the feud between the Marcos dynasty and the Duterte family is not yet in sight

In the background of these elections, the struggle for the presidential elections of 2028 plays a role. For that it is important to have loyal senators in the Senate. To get to power in 2022, Marcos Junior concluded an alliance with Sara Duterte, the daughter of Rodrigo Duterte. She became his vice president. Since a breach of trust between the two in 2024, the two families are fighting for power.

According to the Duterte family, Sara, in exchange for her support for Marcos Junior in 2022, would in turn receive his support for the presidency in 2028. The fight led to betrayal, according to analysts: in 2024 the state continued Sara Duterte for corruption. She was also accused of planning an attack on Marcos Junior.

Plot

According to the Duterte supporters, the allegations are part of a conspiracy orchestrated by Marcos Junior to thwart Sara’s presidency in 2028. The extradition of Rodrigo Duterte to the Criminal Court is also seen as a maneuver of Marcos to break the power of the Duterte family.

In July the case against Sara Duterte will continue in the Senate. To drop her off as a vice president, Marcos needs a two -thirds majority. According to a provisional result, it looks like a majority of senators will soon be on the hand of Marcos. Because they are loyal to the dynasty, but also because they support Chinese aggression in Filipino and international waters. During his presidency, Rodrigo Duterte had close ties with China, but many Philippines find this pro-Chinese attitude undesirable, given the increasing Chinese dominance in the region.

But the position of Marcos Junior is also not too strong. Of the twelve now chosen senators, according to The first results five pro-duter and five pro-marcos. Of the twelve senators, two pro-duterte would be. Sara Duterte needs nine senators to block deposit. Not all senators are known where their loyalty will soon be. That means that the end of the feud between the two dynasties is not yet in sight.

Voters in wheelchairs wait on Monday in the Filipino capital Manila in a row to vote for the interim elections.

Photo Jam Sta Rosa / AFP

Is striking The profit of two senators who are affiliated with former presidential candidate Leni Robredo, a progressive pro-democratic politician.

Although the Philippines have been a democracy in 1986 since the fall of Marcos Senior, the political power is still dominated by about two hundred rich families. Bribery of voters, corruption and disinformation weaken democracy. Poverty makes voters vulnerable, the Filipino political scientist Anthony Borja set up this week Japanese Nikkei Asia. « People are more likely to vote for those who give them a sum of money instead of someone who pursues good policy. It gives people financial redemption in the short term, but long -term solutions are not forthcoming. »

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