Duterte allies target polls

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte’s name is not on the ballot but today’s midterm elections are seen as a crucial referendum on his rise to power with a brutal crackdown on illegal drugs, unorthodox style and the contentious embrace of China.

Nearly 62 million Filipinos have registered to choose among 43500 candidates vying for about 18000 congressional and local posts in one of Asia’s most rambunctious democracies.

The most crucial race is for 12 seats in the 24-member Senate, which Duterte wants to fill with allies to bolster his legislative agenda.

That includes the return of the death penalty, lowering the age for criminal liability of child offenders and revising the country’s 1987 constitution primarily to allow a shift to a federal form of government, a proposal some critics fear may be a cover to remove term limits.

Duterte’s politics and key programmes, including his drive against illegal drugs, that has left more than 5200 mostly urban poor suspects dead, have been scrutinised and defended by close allies running for the Senate.

Duterte’s gutter language and what nationalists say is a policy of appeasement toward China that may also undermine Philippine territorial claims in the South China Sea, have also been hounded by protests and criticism.

A May3-6 survey showed 11 Duterte-backed senatorial candidates and four other aspirants in the winning circle, including only one from the opposition. Duterte himself remains hugely popular, topping ratings surveys with about 70% approval.

Many Filipinos seem more open to authoritarianism due to past failures of liberal leaders.