Philippine election: why Davao re-elected Rodrigo Duterte as mayor despite his ICC trial
The Philippines now faces the unique challenge of a mayor governing in absentia from The Hague – though his son could step in to help
As of 8am on Tuesday, the ex-president had 537,885 votes, according to partial and unofficial results from over 80 per cent of election returns, aggregated by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). His main rival, Karlo Nograles, was trailing far behind with only 64,886 votes.
If confirmed, this will mark Duterte’s eighth term as mayor of Davao, a city he led for over two decades before becoming president in 2016. The Duterte clan’s grip on Davao was further cemented by the victory of Duterte’s son, Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, who garnered 528,697 votes in the vice-mayor race. His closest contender, Bernie Al-Ag, managed only 63,353 votes.
Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio, Duterte’s daughter, outlined three possible ways for him to take his oath as mayor, emphasising that he would “definitely” serve in absentia.