Polls close in pivotal Philippines election that could put Marcoses back in power

About 65.7 million registered voters across the country cast their ballots to replace populist leader Rodrigo Duterte, who steps down after six years. For the presidency, former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr is facing off against Leni Robredo — currently the vice president — The Marcos family has repeatedly denied abuses under martial law and using state funds for their personal use. Campaigners say the Marcoses were never held accountable. Victims of martial law are still fighting for justice.Whoever wins will replace President Duterte, the tough-talking leader known internationally for cracking down on civil society and the media, and a bloody war on drugs that has claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people, according to police. Despite his record on human rights and the Covid-19 pandemic, which made the country’s hunger crisis worse, Duterte remains hugely popular domestically. The election also has ramifications beyond the country’s borders. With China and the US increasingly treating the Indo-Pacific as a staging ground for their global showdown, the Philippines will likely come under growing economic and geopolitical pressure, particularly as its territorial claims in the South China Sea overlap with those of Beijing.Analysts say there is an opportunity for a reset of the Philippines’ relationships with both major powers — and the outcome of the vote could shift the balance of power in Asia.Robredo, 57, a former human rights lawyer who is running as an independent, has promised transparency in government, to tackle corruption, improve the education system and ensure free access to doctors. Her campaigning has been supported by an army of citizen volunteers going house to house canvassing votes, and her rallies have consistently drawn hundreds of thousands of people.Robredo has been a frequent critic of the Duterte administration and has fought publicly with the President over his war on drugs, which she has called “senseless.”Throughout campaigning, she positioned herself as an alternative to the Marcos-Duterte partnership, promoting good governance and speaking up for human rights. Journalist Maria Ressa, the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner and president and chief executive of local media outlet Rappler, told CNN Robredo’s campaign has sparked a movement. “Whatever happens next, this country has never been here before. The kind of volunteer spirit that Leni Robredo has sparked, that in order to get out of social media, there are volunteers going house to house — that has never happened in the Philippines,” she said. The presidential race bears some similarities to the 2016 election, when Marcos Jr took on Robredo for the vice presidency. On that occasion Marcos Jr lost, despite leading in the polls for most of the race.