Overview
- Voting began Monday under a large security presence after a late-night shooting in Cotabato City killed three people and wounded 15 as rival supporters jostled outside a polling station.
- The Commission on Elections took direct control of Cotabato, ordered reprinting of pre-shaded ballots found in Maluso, Basilan, and said some precincts will see delayed voting while officials resolve the problems.
- Nearly 2.4 million registered voters are choosing 80 parliamentarians—40 party-list, 32 district and eight sectoral seats—who will pick the region’s chief minister in the parliament’s first session.
- The former Moro Islamic Liberation Front is split into rival political camps, with about 14,000 fighters reported still under arms and major contests between the Bangsamoro Federalist Party and the United Bangsamoro Justice Party raising risks of post-election friction.
- Authorities deployed more than 20,000 police and soldiers and welcomed 108 international observers, and observers say turnout, the handling of ballot problems, and progress on decommissioning will shape whether the vote strengthens peace and daily life in BARMM.