Explainer | Philippine election: Who’s who in the race to replace President Rodrigo Duterte?

Voters will head to the polls on May 9 to decide the fate of front runner Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, his closet rival Leni Robredo and eight others vying to succeed Duterte

The fiercely contested battle for the top job was marked by smear campaigns, and the next leader faces a host of challenges including tackling a more assertive China

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Philippine presidential front runner Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:30am, 7 May 2022

On May 9, tens of millions of Filipinos will head to the polls to pick a new wave of leaders for the country, including their next president.

The incoming leader – who would replace the 77-year-old populist President Rodrigo Duterte known for his deadly crackdown on drugs – for a six-year term, is set to face wide-ranging challenges such as defining the Philippines’ position on an increasingly assertive China in its backyard.

The months-long campaign also generated plenty of controversy, including rumours linking a presidential candidate to communist terrorists, as the nominees went all out to woo the voters in the last stretch of the fiercely contested race.

Here’s a handy guide to the key things you need to know about the Southeast Asian nation’s election:

How many eligible voters are there and when will they vote?

A record turnout is expected on Monday with over 67 million people of the 110 million population eligible to vote. The number of registered voters has surpassed figures seen in the 2016 (54.4 million) and 2019 (61.8 million) elections.

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