Voting for a new president began in the Philippines on Monday, with the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos considered the favorite to win the high-stakes race and restore his family to the pinnacle of power.
The polls opened at 6:00 a.m. (2200 GMT Sunday), according to AFP reporters. Voting was scheduled to continue until 7:00 p.m.
Ferdinand Marcos Junior appears set to complete his family’s remarkable political comeback nearly 40 years after his father was deposed and forced into exile.
Ten candidates are running to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte in what many see as a make-or-break election for Philippine democracy.
However, only Marcos Jr. and his opponent, incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, are seen as having a chance of winning.
People wearing masks began queuing before dawn to vote outside primary schools and other polling places across the vast archipelago.
Turnout among the more than 65 million Filipinos eligible to vote is expected to be high.
Over 60,000 security personnel have been deployed to safeguard ballots and election workers.
The Philippines has a violent political culture, but no incidents were reported on election day.
After a bruising campaign, polls predicted Marcos Jr would win by a landslide. In the most recent polls, he had a double-digit lead over Robredo, and she will need a low turnout or a late surge of support to win.
In the Philippines, the winner is determined by receiving the most votes.
Since Robredo announced her candidacy for president in October, volunteer groups have sprung up across the vast archipelago in an attempt to persuade voters to support what they see as a battle for the country’s soul.
However, the scion’s popularity has been fueled by the relentless whitewashing of the elder Marcos’s brutal and corrupt regime, support from rival elite families, and public dissatisfaction with post-Marcos governments.
- Tags: Election, Phillippines
