Candidates from two rival parties linked to a militant group have taken the lead in the first elections in a Muslim-majority area in the Philippines. Official results show that this election is a significant step towards autonomy in the Bangsamoro autonomous region in Mindanao.
Background of the Elections
The Bangsamoro region, which has previously struggled with bloody separatist insurgencies, achieved autonomy under a peace agreement in 2014. In this agreement, Muslim militants agreed to lay down their arms in exchange for a promise of autonomy.
The election results indicate that parties linked to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, one of the main militant groups in the region, are in the lead. However, none of these parties have secured a decisive majority, and it remains unclear which party will dominate the regional parliament.
Details of the Election Results
The chairman of the Commission on Elections, Aaron Garcia, announced that voter turnout was 84 percent of nearly 2.4 million registered voters. This region includes five provinces, three cities, and 63 villages.
The Bangsamoro Federal Party, led by the region's interim chief minister, Abdulraof Macacua, is in the lead with nearly 36 percent of the votes and has secured 31 out of 80 parliamentary seats. Macacua, who was previously the military chief of this militant group, has played a prominent role in this election.
The Bangsamoro Justice Party, led by Ahmad “Al Haj Murad” Ibrahim, is in second place with over 32 percent of the votes and has won 30 seats. These two parties, along with two other parties, have managed to meet the 2.5 percent vote threshold required to enter the Bangsamoro parliament.
Challenges and Implications
The new members of parliament will begin their work on October 30 and will be responsible for electing the region's chief minister. A simple majority of 41 votes is needed for this purpose. Murad stated in a statement that with the holding of the first elections in this region, a new chapter begins towards stronger leadership and better services for every community and village.
This election took place while the Mindanao region had previously been known as a haven for extremist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS due to terrorist attacks and kidnappings. Many of these threats have diminished following a military operation supported by the United States.
Source: abcnews.com
