Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the same name as his son and former Filipino dictator, took a big lead in informal votes on Tuesday, paving the way for a return to power in a country’s infamous political dynasty that was once unthinkable. rice field.
Former Senator Marcos Jr. (commonly known as “Bongbong”) won 30.6 million votes on Tuesday morning. That’s twice the 14.6 million votes of his closest rival, Vice President Leni Robredo.
Manny Pacquiao, who turned from a Philippine boxer icon to a presidential candidate, came in third in the presidential election with 3,558,999 votes, followed by Manila Mayor Iscomoreno with 1,864,761 votes. Informal voting results Released by GMA News.
Sara Duterte Carpio, the running mate of Marcos Jr., the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, is also leading the country’s vice presidential elections. 926,000 possible Voting as of Monday morning.
Marcos Jr. thanked his supporters and volunteers for “throwing many of them with us” on Monday, and continued local media Inquirer.net if he was elected president. I asked for help. report.
“I know the count isn’t over, it’s not over yet. I need to be vigilant, but thank everyone who was with us on this long and sometimes very difficult journey. I would like to represent it. The last 6 months, “he said.
His late father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was elected president in 1965. He ruled the Philippines for 20 years and was placed under martial law in 1972, during which thousands of enemies were imprisoned, killed or disappeared.
The dictator was overthrown in the 1986 People Power Revolution and was accused of raising more than $ 10 billion during his tenure. He went into exile in 1989. The Marcos family returned from exile in the 1990s and continue to be a powerful force in Filipino politics.
In an April interview with CNN Philippines, Marcos Jr. defended his deceased father’s decision and martial law declaration, describing him as a “political genius.”
Marcos Jr. also praised his mother, Imelda, as “the best politician in the family.”Imelda Convicted Of the seven corruption cases in her deceased husband’s sentence, she was sentenced to six to eleven years in prison for each number of grafts.
“We were fighting a war on two sides. We had a separatist movement in the South. We were dissidents. [Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army] In the countryside. And these were the people who wanted to overthrow the government, and the government needed to protect itself, “he said.
Marcos Jr. does not offer a true policy platform and is campaigning for a simple but vague message of unity. He has served as governor, member of the House of Representatives, and member of the Senate. His sister, Immy, is now a senator and his mother served four terms in parliament.
His six-year presidency is expected to provide continuity from the retiring leader Duterte, whose ruthless and influential approach has become popular and has helped to rapidly strengthen power.
Official election results will be announced around the end of the month.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Aldgra Fredly is a Malaysia-based freelance writer featuring the Epoch Times Asia Pacific News.