Former Muslim Rebels Lead First Election Results in Southern Philippines

Candidates from two rival parties associated with a former rebel group led the first elections in a predominantly Muslim region in the southern Philippines, official results showed Wednesday. The election marked a significant step forward for self-rule in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which was previously affected by decades of separatist uprisings until a 2014 peace deal. Under this agreement, Muslim rebels committed to disarming in exchange for a promise of autonomy. Parties linked to the former Moro Islamic Liberation Front were leading the polls, although none secured a large majority, leaving the composition of the regional parliament uncertain. The peace deal established the current autonomous region, replacing an older one with a larger, more empowered area, and stipulated the demobilization of the Moro Front's 40,000 fighters, providing them with livelihoods and support for reintegration into normal life. Since the 1970s, the southern Philippines has experienced approximately 150,000 combatant and civilian deaths, with development in the region lagging. According to Erwin Garcia, Chairman of the Commission on Elections, the final voter turnout was 84% of nearly 2.4 million registered voters. The region encompasses five provinces, three cities, and 63 villages. The Bangsamoro Federalist Party, led by the region's transitional Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua, was in the lead with nearly 36% of the votes, securing 31 out of the parliament's 80 seats, based on official results from the commission. Macacua is a former military chief of the rebel group. The United Bangsamoro Justice Party, headed by Moro Front chairman and former Interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, followed with over 32% of the votes and 30 seats. Both the BFP and UBJP were among four regional parties that surpassed the 2.5% voter threshold necessary to gain representation in the Bangsamoro parliament. Members of parliament are scheduled to take office on October 30, when they will elect the region's chief minister, who also heads the executive department. A simple majority of 41 votes is required for election. In a statement posted on Facebook, Murad indicated that this first election signifies the beginning of a "new chapter toward a government with stronger leadership, true service, and focused on every community and village in our homeland," adding that the government's establishment follows a "long struggle that is now being lived through democracy." The region has a history of conflict, including a May 2017 siege of Marawi city by IS-linked militants. That conflict lasted five months, resulting in over 1,100 deaths, predominantly militants, and widespread destruction in the city's commercial and residential areas.