[Politics] Philippines election: Marcos family eye return to power as polls close

[Mr.Talha]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61344609

 

 

Voting has closed in the Philippines after millions queued across the islands to choose their next president.

The man tipped to win the presidency is Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr, the son of the nation's former dictator.

Opinion polls have suggested he may see a landslide victory, meaning the Marcos clan ousted by a people's revolt 36 years ago could reclaim power.

His main rival is Leni Robredo, a liberal who narrowly beat Mr Marcos in the 2016 vice-presidential race.

But pollsters this campaign have consistently shown the Marcos heir ahead with a commanding 30-percentage-point lead.

Polls closed at 19:00 local time (11:00 GMT), and counting was due to start immediately - although voting may be extended in some places to account for Covid restrictions and if voters are still waiting in line.

A high turnout was expected of the nation's eligible 67.5 million voters - with many lining up pre-dawn on Monday to cast their votes at polling booths at schools and community centres.

Filipinos are not only voting on the president but also the vice-president, senators, lower house legislators and thousands of lower-ranking officials across the whole archipelago's 7,600 islands.

It may start to become clear in a few hours which candidates are pulling ahead. However, the process could also take days before a winner is announced, as was the case in 2016.

There have been reports of ballot issues, with some voters at a school in Manila telling the BBC they were having trouble feeding their papers into the counting machines. Others reported that they were told to leave their votes with booth officials.

Comelec Commissioner George Garcia had earlier told the BBC "there will always be allegations of irregularities" but there were no significant breaches so far.

He also said reports of violence were "minimal" and that "the police are in full control of the situation".

Epifanio Delos Santos Elementary School in Malate, Manila.
Image caption,
Whoever wins Monday's presidential race will take over from Rodrigo Duterte, a hardliner who's come to the end of his six year term in office.

Mr Duterte's government has been condemned for its brutality in cracking down on drugs and crime, though the administration has always rejected allegations of wrongdoing.

Critics also say democratic institutions have come under attack in his presidency, pointing to the shutdown of Philippines' broadcaster ABS-CBN, a channel which - like some other independent media outlets - has angered Mr Duterte in the past.