Late dictator’s son set to become Philippines’ 17th President

Ferdinand Marcos Junior, the son of late Philippines dictator Fedinand Marcos on Tuesday won the country’s presidential elections.

Junior won the elections as voters dissed the warning that the man’s rise to power could be harmful to democracy. As 90% of the counting was completed, the politician secured 30 million votes. He has reportedly received more than double the number of votes secured by his nearest rival and liberal candidate Leni Robredo, reported Agence France-Presse.

The presidential election has been quite a turn-around for the Marcos family, which has witnessed life in the presidential palace to the perils and back, over the past 50 years. In 1986 the senior Marcos and the notorious first lady Imelda Marcos were forced into exile due to the “Peoples Power movement.”

Junior’s election campaign was based on efforts to whitewash his family’s image as dictators, he also embraced the widespread popularity of the former President Rodrigo Duterte. Opining on Junior in the run-up to the elections, political analysts and Catholic leaders among others warned that he would come down even more heavily on people if he gains power.

In a late-night address to the people from his campaign office in Manila Junior thanked his volunteers for their efforts during the campaign. However, he did not exude excitement about securing power saying “The count is still on”.

The polling began pre-dawn as masked voters lined up outside the polling booths across the nation. The polling closed 13 hours later at 7:00 PM. Voters in the city of Batac, the ancestral home of Marcoses waved hand fans to keep themselves cool amidst the tropical heat.

The bomb squad and sniffer dogs checked the polling booth thoroughly before the 64-year-old President-elect came down with his eldest son and sister. The 92-year-old Imelda arrived in a red gown, the colour related to the family’s campaign.

The election campaign was also marred by two mass shootings and grenade attacks on May 7. 60,000 security personnel were deployed to guard the election volunteers across the country, reported AFP.