Philippines

Marcos dynasty returns

According to initial counts, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr the son of former the dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr has won the Philippine presidential election with over 50 percent of the vote. This marks the return to power of the Marcos family which had led the country under martial law for more than two decades until 1986. About 30 percent of the vote went to incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, whose stated goal was to restore democracy in the Philippines. The new President Marcos Jr. paved his way back to power with a years-long disinformation campaign that glorified his father's dictatorship as a "golden era." In the future, the new President Marcos Jr. will rule together with the daughter of the still incumbent populist President Duterte: Sara Duterte received almost 60 percent of the electoral votes for the post of vice president, who is elected independently of the president. Sara Duterte is expected to continue her father's harsh and often brutal policies.
 
Under "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. the rule of law and freedom of the press in the Philippines will be further undermined. This will allow the Marcos family to regain access to their ill-gotten wealth, escape tax debts estimated at PHP203 billion, and further glorify the Marcos Sr. dictatorship. "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. avoided public debates and press conferences during the election campaign to avoid uncomfortable questions and also did not mention any concrete action plans in case of a successful election. It therefore remains to be seen what his policies will actually look like after he officially takes office in July.