A Bumpy Peace Election in the Philippines

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao held its first parliamentary election this week, a vote meant to replace appointed delegates under the 2014 peace deal between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. At least five people were killed and 18 injured over the election period, and an explosion the night before the vote killed three more, despite a heavy security presence.

The vote pits the MILF's political arm, now led by Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, against the breakaway Bangsamoro Federalist Party led by former MILF armed forces chief of staff Abdulraof Macacua, who is seen as having quiet backing from Manila. The election had already been postponed four times since being scheduled for 2022.

Reporting from the ground in Cotabato City noted delayed ballot deliveries and vote-buying concerns layered atop the security incidents, familiar hazards in Philippine elections generally.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.