Thursday 17 / October / 2024
Marcos Jr. has taken an early lead in the country's presidential election.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the ousted dictator, looks set for a comprehensive victory in Monday's presidential election in the Philippines.
Having collected more than 30.8 million votes in the unofficial results with more than 97% of the votes counted, Marcos is on course to replace President Rodrigo Duterte.
"If we'll be fortunate, I'll expect that your help will not wane, your trust will not wane because we have a lot of things to do in the times ahead," Marcos said in a video he shared late Monday night.
Election officials said the vote was relatively peaceful despite pockets of violence in the country's volatile south.
The Commission on Elections reported problems with some 2,000 malfunctioning vote-counting machines, power outages, missing names on voters' list and otherm but said turnout appeared to have been high.
Marcos' nearest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, had 14.7 million votes.
Robredo conceded defeat, and said, "The voice of the people is getting clearer and clearer. In the name of the Philippines, which I know you also love so dearly, we should hear this voice because in the end, we only have." She urged her supporters to "press for the truth."
