Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is poised to win the mayoral election in his hometown of Davao City despite being in pre-trial detention at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity.
Polling indicates the 80-year-old Duterte is leading the race and could secure the position for a fifth time, reinforcing his family’s dominance over the Philippines’ third-largest city. His likely victory comes amid an escalating power struggle with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., once a political ally.
Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, faces an impeachment trial in the Senate. Her future in office — and political survival — may hinge on whether the Duterte-led Philippine Democratic Party (PDP) secures enough Senate seats in the national midterm elections, where 18,000 posts are up for grabs.
“If the Dutertes survive this, they can turn it into a massive comeback,” said political analyst Richard Heydarian.
Despite his victory, Duterte remains detained, facing allegations that he orchestrated a brutal anti-drug campaign during his presidency. While official figures cite 6,200 deaths, human rights groups estimate the number could be as high as 30,000.
Violence marred the election day, with multiple shootings reported and issues affecting vote-counting machines due to extreme heat.
And we thought that putting Trump back in the same office he betrayed made us the poster child of democracy gone haywire. Could have been worse. He could be running the country from a jail cell — which might explain exactly what the Supreme Court was afraid of when it issued its immunity ruling.