Coalition may be needed in the Philippines’ Muslim region
In the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in the Philippines, coalition talks will likely be needed to form a majority in the new parliament. According to Benedicto Bacani, executive director of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance, neither of the two main camps is likely to win the 41 seats needed for a majority in the 80-seat parliament.
Partial results
After 98.56% of votes had been counted in the party vote, the camp linked to Abdulraof Macacua had 35.2% of the vote. It was ahead of the bloc associated with Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim, the longtime chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which received 32.4%.
Daily Maverick reports, citing partial and unofficial data from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, a church election-monitoring group. A third alliance, the BARMM Grand Coalition, received 20.5% of the vote and may play an important role in coalition negotiations.
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Formation of parliament
Abdulraof Macacua is a former commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed him interim head of the region in 2025. Bacani believes that cooperation between rival factions of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front would be the best option for strengthening peace and political stability in Bangsamoro.
Voter turnout was about 80%: approximately 1.8 million people voted out of 2.39 million registered voters. Voters elected party, district and sectoral representatives who will form the parliament. It is to elect the region’s first elected chief minister. The vote is considered an important milestone following the 2014 peace agreement between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which paved the way for greater autonomy for the region.
