Voting ends in crucial Philippine midterm elections

ISTANBUL

Voting in the Philippines' midterm elections concluded in many regions across the country, with tens of millions of people voting to elect half of the 24-member Senate, all 317 members of the House of Representatives, and thousands of local municipal leaders and legislators.

However, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Garcia said in a press briefing that they expect some areas to have extended voting hours, particularly Mindanao island and Datu Odin Sinsuat municipality, because voting was delayed due to poll rivals blocking the transport of election materials, according to the Inquirer newspaper.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. local time, and with an automated counting system in place, many unofficial results are expected to be released within a few hours. Official declarations are due in a week, after candidates have had an opportunity to challenge the results, according to local media reports.

Earlier, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. cast his vote at Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, the Manila Times reported.

He was accompanied by his mother, former first lady Imelda Marcos, and his sister, Irene Marcos-Araneta.

With over 18,000 positions available, ranging from the House of Representatives to hotly contested municipal offices, the election is widely seen as a referendum on the political feud between President Marcos and impeached Vice President Sara Duterte.

Sara, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is facing a trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity, was impeached in February this year for "misuse of funds, unexplained wealth and betrayal of public trust."

The 12 senators to be chosen in Monday's elections will form half the jury in Sara's impeachment trial in July, which could see her permanently barred from public office.

Despite his detention at The Hague, Rodrigo Duterte remains on the ballot in his hometown of Davao city, where he is expected to comfortably retake his former job as mayor.

Sara will need nine votes in the 24-seat upper house - the Senate - to keep her hopes alive for a future presidential run.

At her final rally in Manila on Thursday, she accused the government of President Marcos of planning “massive” electoral fraud and once again referred to her father’s transfer to the ICC as a “kidnapping.”

The government has deployed around 163,000 police personnel to secure polling stations.

Thousands more personnel from the military, fire department, and other agencies have been mobilized to avert violence during and after the polling.

According to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), unofficial election results could be available an hour after voting ends.

Comelec printed 68.4 million ballots to match the number of registered voters.