The son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos commanded a massive early lead in yesterday’s presidential election, according to an unofficial tally of results that pointed to a historic landslide victory.
Nearly 40 years after his namesake father was deposed by a popular revolt and his family chased into exile, Ferdinand Marcos Jr was seen doubling the tally of his nearest rival.
With more than 60 percent of the nation’s precincts reporting, Marcos Jr had garnered more than 20 million votes, to liberal candidate Leni Robredo’s 9.4 million.
Photo: Reuters
In the Philippines, the winner only has to receive more votes than any other candidate.
However, if sustained, the tally — published by local media from Philippine Commission on Elections figures — would make Marcos Jr the first Philippine president since his father’s ouster to be elected with an absolute majority.
It would also signal an astonishing turnaround for the fortunes of the Marcos clan, who have come from being pariahs to occupying the presidential palace within a generation.
“This will be a historic election,” said Cleve Arguelles, an assistant lecturer in political science at De La Salle University in Manila.
“Until the last vote is counted, it’s not yet the end of everything,” Philippine Commission on Elections Commissioner George Garcia said.
However, the writing appeared to be on the wall for Marcos Jr’s nine rivals, vying to succeed Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in elections seen by many as a make-or-break moment for the Philippines’ fragile democracy.
The results would be a crushing blow for supporters of Robredo, the incumbent vice president who turned her campaign into a movement to defend democracy and brought almost 1 million people onto the streets in one recent rally.
Robredo, a 57-year-old lawyer and economist, had promised to clean up the dirty style of politics that has long plagued the feudal and corrupt democracy, where a handful of surnames hold sway.
Marcos Jr and running mate Sara Duterte — both offspring of authoritarian leaders — have insisted they are best qualified to “unify” the country.
From before dawn, mask-clad voters formed long lines to cast their ballots in 70,000 polling stations across the archipelago.
Polls officially closed at 7pm.
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