Philippine Congress confirms Duterte won presidential election

A joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate completed the tally of the votes for president and vice president in three days, confirming Duterte’s win with 39 per cent of votes cast on May 9

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Philippine president-elect Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: AP

Published: 10:11pm, 27 May 2016Updated: 10:11pm, 27 May 2016

The Philippine Congress on Friday confirmed that Rodrigo Duterte, a tough-talking mayor from a southern city, won the presidential elections earlier in the month.

A joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate completed the tally of the votes for president and vice president in three days, confirming Duterte’s win with 39 per cent of votes cast on May 9.

The 71-year-old mayor of the southern city of Davao received 16.6 million votes, or 6.6 million more than his closest rival, former interior secretary Mar Roxas, according to the official tally.

“Finally victory has been achieved,” Duterte’s spokesman Peter Lavina said. “His victory is the triumph of the people, by the people and for the people.”

“Let us celebrate this milestone of Philippine democracy by uniting and working for genuine change,” he added.

Duterte ruffled the feathers of his opponents with his fiery rhetoric on the campaign trail; for example, he threatened to kill all suspected criminals, especially those involved in illegal drug trafficking, if elected president.