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Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has been re-elected as mayor of the city of Davao, the family’s stronghold, despite being imprisoned thousands of miles away in The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity.
With more than 60% of returns in, Duterte, 80, had an insurmountable lead of 405,000 votes – far ahead of his nearest competitor who trailed on 49,000, according to unofficial results from the election commission published by local media.
Duterte was arrested and flown to The Hague in March over his so-called “war on drugs”, in which thousands of people were killed, many of them young men in deprived urban areas who were shot dead in the streets.
Despite international outrage over the killings, Duterte, known for his tough-talking, everyman persona, remained popular throughout his presidency.
His arrest stirred defiance and sympathy among supporters in the run-up to Monday’s midterm elections, which have taken place amid a bitter power struggle between the Dutertes and their rivals, the family of president Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
On Duterte’s 80th birthday in March, tens of thousands gathered in the city, lighting candles and singing. Campaigns by his supporters have been dominated by calls for him to be returned to the Philippines.
It is unclear how Duterte would take his oath to assume office as mayor. His daughter, impeached vice-president Sara Duterte, said this was being discussed by “his ICC [international criminal court] lawyers and his Filipino lawyers”.
It is expected that, given the former president is imprisoned in the Netherlands, duties could instead be assumed by the vice-mayor – a race his son, Sebastian, was also on track to win.
Duterte’s children and grandchildren have accused the state of having “kidnapped” him. In a video message posted after his arrest, he said he would take responsibility for his policies.
The wider electoral picture for the family was mixed. Sara Duterte said late on Monday night that “the outcome was not what we had hoped for”, though her allies seeking seats in the senate appeared to have performed better than some pre-election surveys had predicted.
She did not appear on the ballot papers on Monday, but the elections will prove crucial to her survival.
The vice-president was impeached in February over claims that she misused funds, and in relation to a speech she gave in which she appeared to threaten the lives of the president, the first lady and speaker of the house.
She is due to face trial in the 24-seat senate, where half of the members were being elected on Monday.
If Sara Duterte were to be found guilty by the senate, she would be barred from office – preventing her from running for president in 2028.
A two-thirds vote, of at least 16 senate members, is needed to convict an impeached official.
As of midnight, five Duterte-aligned candidates were on course to secure seats in the senate, while allies of Marcos were projected to win six seats, fewer than had been predicted. A senator who has been associated with both the Marcos and Duterte campaigns has been included in each of their counts of successful candidates.
Opposition candidates who are critical of both families performed better than expected.
Sara Duterte said in a statement: “We will continue to hold the government accountable, advocate for the issues that matter, and work tirelessly to serve as a strong and constructive opposition.”
