Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was almost certain to be elected mayor of his home city by a landslide on Monday, unimpeded by his detention at the International Criminal Court on charges of murder as a crime against humanity.
With 80% of votes counted in an unofficial tally, Duterte, who was brought to The Hague in March over his bloody “war on drugs” that killed thousands of people, was winning the Davao mayoral contest with eight times more votes than his nearest rival.
The victory during nationwide midterm elections is testament to the 80-year-old’s enduring influence in the southern city, owing to his reputation as a crime-buster that earned him the nicknames “Duterte Harry” and “the Punisher.”
Duterte’s old Facebook account was flooded with congratulatory messages from supporters, with some calling for his return to serve his people.
The former president’s two sons were also set to win posts on Monday, one re-elected congressman and the other winning the contest for Davao vice mayor and likely to serve in his father’s absence.
Posted by John3262005
2 Comments
I’m Filipino-American. Philippine politics is and has always been a clusterfuck.
honestly pretty par for the course in terms of politics in the phillipines