In the Philippines, Duterte's encouraging results in 'too good to be true' elections
A new twist in the rivalry between the Marcos and Duterte clans. Provisional results of the Philippine midterm elections show the two clans neck and neck, a far cry from the electoral setback expected for the Dutertes. Rodrigo Duterte, currently detained at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, even won the mayoral seat in his stronghold, Davao City.
Neither the charges of crimes against humanity for which he will appear before the International Criminal Court (ICC) nor his detention since March in the ICC prison in The Hague, Netherlands, have dampened his popularity. The political influence of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (2016-2022) has once again been confirmed, at several political levels, reports The Philippine Star .
First in his stronghold, Davao , where he was declared the winner of the mayoral election by the first partial and unofficial results of the May 12 poll. In this city, which has been in the hands of the Duterte family for two decades, he would have beaten his main rival, Karlo Nograles.
But also at the national level, where the still-incomplete results of the midterm elections are generally favorable to the Duterte camp, particularly with regard to voters' choices for the 12 Senate seats at stake. Indeed, in addition to choosing new senators, the 68 million Filipino voters had to renew the House of Representatives and elect candidates for local offices.
The day after the vote, the trend therefore shows an almost even split.
Courrier International
