Philippine midterm elections: Duterte-backed senatorial candidates leading in race, according to unofficial count
- With 94 per cent of ballots counted early on Tuesday, Duterte allies were on track to take nine of 12 open seats in the upper house
- Duterte indicates he will use a Senate majority to legally grab power – either through forcing a constitutional change or revolutionary government
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s allies were poised for victory in midterm polls, unofficial results showed on Tuesday, signalling firm approval of his rule and clearing a path for his most controversial plans.
With 94 per cent of ballots counted early on Tuesday, Duterte allies were on track to take nine of 12 open seats in the upper house.
They include Christopher “Bong” Go, a former close aide of Duterte; Bong Revilla, a former senator who was jailed then acquitted for embezzling hundreds of millions in public funds but told by the court to return the money; Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, a former police chief who implemented Duterte’s deadly “war on drugs”; and Imee Marcos, the daughter of brutal late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, for whom Duterte has repeatedly expressed admiration.
The 12 winning senators will fill out the 24-member chamber. Official, complete results from the nation’s elections commission are expected in the coming days.
Duterte has made no secret of his plans if candidates he supports win a majority in the upper house: he has promised to rewrite the constitution to shift to a federal form of government, among other things.
His critics say this is a bid to extend his hold on power and also weaken the nation’s democratic institutions.