(Manila) Ferdinand Marcos Junior, son and namesake of the late dictator, won a landslide presidential victory in the Philippines on Tuesday, reinstalling his family clan at the top of power, 36 years after the popular revolt which had driven him out.
Posted at 7:54 a.m.
According to preliminary results covering almost all the polling stations, Marcos Junior, nicknamed “Bongbong”, won more than 56% of the vote and more than twice as many votes as his main rival, outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo.
This victory of son Marcos leaves a bitter taste for millions of Filipinos who hoped to turn the page of six years of presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, marked by violence, including a bloody war against drug trafficking, and increased authoritarianism.
But the Duterte clan supported “Bongbong”, and far from repudiating him, a strong majority of voters even carried Rodrigo’s daughter, Sara, to the vice-presidency in a separate ballot.
In a speech on Tuesday at dawn, Ferdinand Marcos Junior, 64, however refrained from claiming victory. “Let’s wait until it’s very clear, until the count reaches 100% of the vote, and then we can celebrate,” he said.
About 67 million Filipinos were called to the polls for these general elections, which designated the deputies, half of the senators, the provincial governors and thousands of other local elected officials.
Marcos Junior’s triumph comes after an election campaign marked by torrents of misinformation and unwavering support from Mr. Duterte.
For years, pro-Marcos Junior accounts have invaded social networks, passing off to young Filipinos the twenty years of his father’s regime (1965-1986) as a golden era of peace and prosperity for the archipelago. And ignoring the tens of thousands of opponents arrested, tortured or killed, or even the billions of dollars stolen by the Marcos clan from the coffers of the country for their personal enrichment.
“Clear disappointment”
The regime had been overthrown in 1986 by a huge popular revolt, and the Marcos family had gone into exile in the United States, before returning to the country to patiently reweave a powerful network of political support.
Less than half a century after their fall, the Marcos will return in July to the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila, from where “Bongbong” has promised to restore “unity” to the country during his six-year term.
“This election was our great chance for radical change,” regrets Mae Paner, a 58-year-old political humorist who participated in the 1986 Revolution. “There will be more deaths, more debts, more hunger. The Marcos will practice theft,” he fears.
For Bonifacio Ilagan, who suffered two years of imprisonment and torture under Marcos Sr., the election exposed a deep malaise in society. It has, he said, revealed “the depth with which the deception of historical fraudsters has seeped into the consciousness of Filipinos”.
Marcos Jr owes much of his victory to a series of behind-the-scenes dealings with other family clans, including his alliance with Sara Duterte.
Her ill-fated rival Leni Robredo, a 57-year-old lawyer and economist who had promised to rid the country of corruption and the stranglehold of political dynasties, expressed her “clear disappointment”.
In recent weeks, his campaign had morphed into a pro-democracy movement, drawing nearly a million people to a single protest in Manila.
“Copying”
Fearing the wrath of disgruntled voters, many of whom have denounced irregularities, police have appealed for restraint. The country’s Electoral Commission found that the count was broadly conducted correctly.
The heavy defeat of the liberal opposition will undoubtedly open a period of introspection for it, said Mark Thompson, director of the Center for Southeast Asia Research at the City University of Hong Kong.
“They have to show clearly that they are going to improve the lives of the average Filipino,” he said.
Marcos Junior will have to strive to satisfy all those who voted for him in reaction against the democratic governments which have succeeded since the end of the dictatorship, deemed incapable of restoring the standard of living of the Filipinos.
“He will have to present a coherent and detailed plan to put the Philippine economy back on track after the ravages of the pandemic,” said Peter Mumford, analyst at Eurasia Group.
All this while also satisfying the powerful political dynasties who supported him, and who will expect a return from him.
For Mr. Mumford, “one of the main points to watch under his government will be the worsening of corruption and cronyism” in the country.