Philippine president's allies on course for most available Senate seats in election
Allies of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr were on course to win at least half of the available Senate seats in a midterm election on Monday, an unofficial tally showed, in a contest seen as a referendum on his leadership and a fierce proxy battle with his estranged vice president.
Although 18,000 positions including mayors, governors and lawmakers were up for grabs on Monday, attention is firmly on race for the Senate, with a bitter rivalry between Marcos and his popular Vice President Sara Duterte dominating an election that could reshape the balance of power in the country of 110 million people.
With more than half of the votes counted in the unofficial tally, six of the 12 Senate candidates backed by Marcos were among those receiving the most votes, signalling strong support for the president and his policy agenda after the dramatic collapse of his once formidable alliance with Duterte, the daughter of maverick former leader Rodrigo Duterte.
What began as a united front that swept the 2022 election unravelled into an acrimonious feud, marked by a torrent of personal accusations and a bid to impeach Duterte on allegations she misused funds, amassed unexplained wealth and threatened the lives of Marcos, the first lady and the house speaker.
The early counts showed at least three allies of Duterte were on course to win Senate seats.
Analysts say a Marcos-friendly Senate would not only secure passage of key legislation, including security measures aligned with his pro-US foreign policy, but it could help him to determine the political future of fierce foe Duterte, a likely presidential contender with Marcos limited to a single term.
The Senate contest is critical, with its 24 members to become jurors if an impeachment trial goes ahead, where Duterte faces removal from office and a lifetime ban. At least 16 votes – a two-thirds majority – are needed to convict her.
While several of Duterte's endorsed candidates appeared to be falling short in the early vote counts, at least three of her allies were on track to retain their Senate seats, which could give her a foothold in the upper chamber.
Among those were her father's loyalists, former police chief Ronald dela Rosa and Christopher Go, a longtime presidential aide, who were ranked in the top three. Fuelling the flames of the already charged election was Rodrigo Duterte's arrest by Philippine police in March at the request of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where he is detained and facing trial over a 'war on drugs' during which thousands were killed.
Despite his detention, he was on Monday's ballot for mayor in his hometown. Both Dutertes have denied wrongdoing and have challenged the proceedings against them. Sara Duterte has accused Marcos of trying to destroy their family politically and of selling out sovereignty in giving up a former president to a foreign court, both of which he has rejected.
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