Written for The Diplomat
Election protests have shaped Philippine politics for the past three decades and there are signs that the upcoming 2022 presidential elections will be similarly divisive.
In 1986, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was accused of rigging a snap presidential election. A protest walkout by election computer programmers drew sympathy from the public and members of the armed forces, which eventually led to the ouster of Marcos through a peaceful People Power uprising.
Presidential Election Campaign Kicks Off in the Philippines
Written for The Diplomat
The three-month election campaign in the Philippines is set to start tomorrow amid a continuing pandemic scare and doubts over the legal eligibility of a leading presidential candidate.
There are 10 presidential candidates, nine vice-presidential candidates, 64 senatorial aspirants, and 177 party-list groups. In the Philippines, the president and vice president are elected separately. Only 12 senators will be declared winners. Party-list groups with 2 percent of votes will automatically get one seat in Congress. Local elections for more than 18,000 positions will be held at the same time.
There are 65.7 million domestic voters and around 1.8 million overseas voters. The national and local elections are scheduled for May 9.
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