By Karen Lema and Mikhail Flores
MANILA (Reuters) – Allies of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr looked set to win at least half of the available Senate seats in a midterm election on Monday, an unofficial tally showed, in a contest seen as a referendum on his leadership and a fierce proxy battle with his estranged vice president.
Although 18,000 positions including mayors, governors and lawmakers were up for grabs, attention was firmly on the race for the influential Senate, with a bitter row between Marcos and his popular Vice President Sara Duterte dominating an election that could reshape the balance of power in the country of 110 million.
With most votes counted in the unofficial tally, Marcos’ allies were on course for half of the 12 available seats in the 24-member Senate, likely guaranteeing support for his policy agenda after the dramatic collapse of his once formidable alliance with Duterte, the daughter of maverick former leader Rodrigo Duterte.
Analysts say a Marcos-friendly Senate would not only secure passage of key legislation and backing for his pro-U.S. foreign policy, it could give him sway in deciding the political fate of his adversary Duterte, a likely 2028 presidential contender with Marcos limited to a single term.
What began as a united front between two powerful families that swept the 2022 election unravelled last year into an acrimonious feud, marked by a torrent of personal accusations and a bid to impeach Duterte on allegations she misused funds, amassed unexplained wealth and threatened to assassinate Marcos, the first lady and the House speaker. She denies wrongdoing.
The Senate contest was critical, with its members to become jurors if an impeachment trial goes ahead, where Duterte faces removal from office and a lifetime ban if convicted.
‘STAND WITH US’
Though Marcos has the edge, the voting indicates Duterte has a chance of acquittal, with four allies set to win Senate seats and give her an important foothold to rally support in the high-profile chamber, where a two-thirds majority is needed to convict her.
“This is not the end – it’s a renewed beginning,” Duterte said in a statement. “We invite all citizens – regardless of background or past affiliation – to join us in building a powerful and principled opposition.”
“We can shape a future that is fair, inclusive and just. Stand with us.”
Ederson Tapia, a political scientist at the University of Makati, said that although Marcos will hold clout in the Senate, things may not always go his way.
“We will see even more fragmentation at the Senate, especially, since many will jockey for 2028,” he said of the next presidential election.
“Duterte’s influence cannot be written off altogether.”
Fuelling the flames of the already charged election was former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest by Philippine police in March at the request of the International Criminal Court, where he is detained and facing trial over a “war on drugs” during which thousands were killed.
He maintains his arrest was illegal, amounting to kidnapping.
Sara Duterte has accused Marcos of trying to destroy their family politically and of selling out sovereignty in giving up a former president to a foreign court, both of which he has rejected.
Despite the elder Duterte’s detention in The Hague, unofficial results showed he was set to be elected mayor in a landslide in his hometown Davao City, with his son as vice mayor.
(Reporting by Karen Lema and Mikhail Flores; Editing by Martin Petty, Alex Richardson and Susan Fenton)
