Philippines election: Bongbong poised to win

10 May 2022

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, son of a former Philippines’ dictator, is headed for a landslide win in the country’s presidential race, according to partial and preliminary results.

The 64-year-old senator has so far won 56% of the vote, compared to 28% for rival Leni Robredo.

Mr Marcos’ victory would return his family to power 36 years after they were ousted by a popular revolution.

Critics allege his campaign was fuelled by misinformation, which he denies.

Turnout on voting day was high and previous elections in the country have largely been ruled to be fair. Isolated incidents of violence – including the shooting of three people near a polling station – were not reflected widely across the country, officials said.

But the BBC’s Howard Johnson in Manila says there are lingering questions about broken machines at polling stations and videos allegedly showing vote buying.