Explained: A Guide to Elections in the Philippines

Filipinos arrive to cast their votes at a polling station during national elections in Manila, Philippines, May 9, 2022. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

May 9 (Reuters) – Voting began in the Philippines on Monday to decide thousands of seats across the archipelago, including who will replace Rodrigo Duterte and become its president for the next six years.

Below is a summary of what you can expect.

The election will elect a president, a vice president, 12 senators, 300 lower house lawmakers and some 18,000 officials on 7,600 islands, including mayors, governors and their deputies.

About 67.5 million of the Southeast Asian nation’s 110 million people are eligible voters and most votes will be cast on Election Day, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. (2200-1100 GMT). ).

Each voter must select a candidate for each office, from president, vice president, and senate, to their local district councillors. Winners serve three-year terms, except for the president, vice president, and senators, who serve six-year terms.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr, 64, the son and namesake of the dictator ousted in a “popular power” uprising in 1986, has been the clear leader in all opinion polls this year.

A former governor, congressman, and senator, Marcos is a political heavyweight from a wealthy family with powerful connections. Critics say winning the presidency is the end of the Marcos family to whitewash their past and change narratives of authoritarianism, looting and opulent living.

Marcos’ campaign message is unity, and in recent interviews he has unabashedly praised his late father for his “genius” and leadership.

His closest rival is Leni Robredo, 57, who beat Marcos in the 2016 vice presidential election. Robredo is a former human rights lawyer and staunch liberal who, as vice president, has led campaigns against poverty and gender inequality. She entered politics in 2013 after the death in a plane crash of her husband, a former Minister of the Interior.

Other candidates include Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, retired boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo Lacson, a former police chief, though they have consistently trailed in the polls. read more

Although vote buying, political violence and occasional failures with electronic voting machines have been problems in the Philippines, it is highly unlikely that there will be a level of fraud that casts doubt on the credibility of the polls or their results.

The independent poll monitor Asian Network for Free Elections concluded that each of the Philippines’ most recent elections was generally free and fair, with turnout high at around 80%.

Millions of Filipinos have settled or have sought work abroad. Collectively, they send tens of billions of dollars each year, helping support families and boosting the Philippine economy.

As economic breadwinners, the 1.7 million overseas registered voters, and many more Filipinos of other nationalities, can be key in influencing the voting choices of their families at home or their communities abroad.

Vote counting begins after the polls close and there may be a strong indication of who will be the new president in a few hours through an unofficial live vote count.

The electoral commission aims to announce the majority of the winners by the end of May and shortly thereafter they will be confirmed by a proclamation from the current legislature.

The president-elect has seven weeks before being sworn in, during which time his transition team will draw up policy plans and canvass potential cabinet members.

The vice president has no real power unless the president vacates the office, but as running mates, they can be crucial allies in rallying supporters behind presidential candidates.

Marcos has been associated with the daughter of current President Duterte, Sara Duterte-Carpio. His support in the south, historically a weak point for the Marcos family, could be a game changer. While his father has not endorsed Marcos or any other candidate, he will almost certainly absorb some of the outgoing president’s support.

The vice president is elected in a separate race and cannot be an ally of whoever becomes president.

In the Philippines, political parties tend to be secondary to personalities, and loyalties change easily.

Surnames and endorsements from celebrities, social media influencers, and politicians carry enormous weight, far more than party affiliation.

Widespread defections are anticipated and lawmakers will often ally themselves with whoever becomes president, though rivalries and ideological differences will ensure that there is political opposition.

Edited by Kim Coghill

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