Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC), was elected mayor of Davao City in local elections held on the 12th (local time).
In the Philippine midterm elections held that day, the former president Duterte received overwhelming support. According to local media GMA, at the point of 75% of votes counted, Duterte's vote percentage reached 85%.
Davao City is where he built a powerful political base, serving as mayor for over 20 years before his presidential election.
The Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) analyzed, "Davao citizens highly appreciate his strong 'law enforcement' achievements during his tenure and continue to provide steadfast support."
The former president Duterte was arrested by the ICC last March on charges of humanitarian crimes during the 'war on drugs' that took place during his previous term from 2016 to 2022.
He is currently detained at the ICC facility in The Hague, Netherlands, awaiting trial. Considering his New Recruit status, it is impossible to perform actual mayoral duties.
His eldest daughter, Sara Duterte, the current vice president, stated in a local interview, "If my father is elected, the vice mayor will act in place of the mayor."
The current mayor of Davao is Sebastian Duterte, the youngest son of Duterte. Sebastian is also running as a vice mayoral candidate in this election and is leading the polls. This practically signals a 'son mayor substitute' system.
Duterte's eldest son Paolo Duterte is likely to be reelected as a member of the House of Representatives.
BBC noted, "This family-centered political structure has been a long-standing phenomenon in the Philippines," and evaluated that the 'Duterte dynasty' remains strong.
This Philippine midterm election was a large-scale election to elect 12 out of 24 senatorial seats, all members of the House of Representatives (317 seats), and over 18,000 local government leaders and councilors.
The current administration of President Ferdinand Marcos performed worse than expected. Preliminary counting results showed that Marcos's side captured 6 out of the 12 senatorial seats up for election.
The number of seats was reduced by about one-third compared to the 9 seats initially expected in opinion polls.
On the other hand, Duterte's side seems likely to capture at least 4 to 5 seats, exceeding initial expectations.
Anthony Lawrence Borja, an associate professor at De La Salle University in Manila, told Bloomberg, "The election results reflect the decline in support for President Marcos, the revival of the Duterte brand, and the return of traditional progressive opposition to high-level politics."