MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Even though he is detained in The Hague, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was among candidates who vied for some 18,000 national and local seats in Monday's midterm elections that analysts say will decide if he and his family continue to hold political power.
Duterte has been in custody of the International Criminal Court since March, awaiting trial for crimes against humanity over a brutal war on illegal drugs that has left thousands of suspects dead during his 2016-2022 presidency. It hasn't stopped him from running for mayor of his southern Davao city stronghold.
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Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte gestures as she speaks to the media during a press conference after casting her vote at a polling center in Davao City, southern Philippines, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Manman Dejeto)
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in Quezon City, Philippines, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
A man casts his ballot at a polling station in Quezon City, Philippines, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
FILE - Apollo Quiboloy takes his oath as he attends a hearing at the Philippine Senate on Oct. 23, 2024, in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, file)
FILE - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., center right, and Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, greet during the inauguration ceremony at National Museum on June 30, 2022 in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, file)
FILE - Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte gestures as she speaks during a press conference in Manila, Philippines on Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe, File)
FILE - In this photo provided by the News and Information Bureau, Malacanang Palace, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, takes his oath before Philippine Supreme Court Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes during inauguration ceremony in Malacanang Palace, June 30, 2016 in Manila, Philippines. Holding the bible is President Duterte's daughter Veronica. Others in photo are Duterte's children, from right, Paolo Duterte, Sarah Duterte and Sebastian Duterte. (The News and Information Bureau, Malacanang Palace via AP, file)
FILE - Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool, file)
Under Philippine law, candidates facing criminal charges, including those in detention, can run for office unless they have been convicted and have exhausted all appeals.
Duterte is widely expected to win as Davao mayor, a position he held for over two decades before becoming president. It's less clear how he can practically serve as mayor from behind bars.
Over 68 million Filipinos were registered to vote Monday for half of the 24-member Senate, all the 317 seats in the House of Representatives and various positions in provinces, cities and municipalities.
Polls closed at 7 p.m. local time, but voters still in line in some areas were allowed to cast ballots. Election officers said the unofficial outcome may be known in a few hours, while official results would be announced within a week.
The spotlight is on the race for the Senate that could determine the political future of Duterte's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.
She faces an impeachment trial in the Senate in July over accusations of plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and corruption involving her office’s intelligence funds. She has denied the allegations, saying they were spread by her political opponents to destroy her.
Sara Duterte is considered a strong contender for the 2028 presidential race. But if convicted by the Senate, she will be removed as vice president and disqualified from holding public office. To be acquitted, she needs at least nine of the 24 senators to vote in her favor.
“The 2025 midterm elections will be crucial because the results will set the pace for what will happen next, which family or faction will dominate the elections in 2028,” said Maria Ela Atienza, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines.
If Sara Duterte is convicted in the impeachment trial, it could signal the end of the Duterte family holding key positions in the country, she said. Other family members running in the election include Rodrigo Duterte’s youngest son, Sebastian, the incumbent mayor of Davao, who is now running for vice mayor and widely expected to win. His eldest son Paolo is seeking reelection as a member of the House of Representatives. Two grandsons are also running in local races.
The impeachment and Rodrigo Duterte's arrest and transfer to the tribunal in The Hague came after Marcos and Sara Duterte's ties unraveled over political differences and their competing ambitions.
Earlier Monday, Sara Duterte voted in Davao while Marcos cast his ballot in his northern hometown, Batac City.
She told reporters after casting her ballot she would accept the will of the electorate if candidates she backed did not win.
Speaking about her father’s expected win: “Definitely, he will not be here, our expectation is the vice mayor (Sebastian) will be the acting mayor,” she said.
Marcos, in a video message on election eve, had urged Filipinos to vote and make their voice heard.
Her father’s spiritual adviser and close political ally, televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, is also running for a Senate seat despite being detained on charges of sexual abuse and human trafficking. He is also wanted in the U.S. on similar charges.
Voting has been marred by pockets of violence. In Silay City in central Philippines, police reported that two people died and seven others were hurt in a shooting. In the southern New Corella municipality, supporters of two candidates vying for mayor engaged in a gunfight, leaving two dead and two wounded. In southern Basilan, seven people were killed in suspected election-related shootings. Several others were also injured in shootings in other parts of the country.
Fights between supporters of rival candidates also delayed balloting in some constituencies. In Manila, some voters complained their names were missing from the list in their precinct. Others grumbled about the long queue in stifling heat.
Voter Reymark Marquez said the Marcos-Duterte team that won in 2022 failed to deliver on promises. He said the midterm elections are “beyond Duterte versus Marcos but about choosing the right leaders.”
“I think what is at stake in this election is the future of the next generation,” Diana Joy Acosta, a 32-year-old new mother, said after casting her vote in a school in metropolitan Manila’s Mandaluyong City. For her baby’s future, she hopes for an end to corruption and the election of politicians with integrity.
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte gestures as she speaks to the media during a press conference after casting her vote at a polling center in Davao City, southern Philippines, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Manman Dejeto)
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in Quezon City, Philippines, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
A man casts his ballot at a polling station in Quezon City, Philippines, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
FILE - Apollo Quiboloy takes his oath as he attends a hearing at the Philippine Senate on Oct. 23, 2024, in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, file)
FILE - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., center right, and Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, greet during the inauguration ceremony at National Museum on June 30, 2022 in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, file)
FILE - Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte gestures as she speaks during a press conference in Manila, Philippines on Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe, File)
FILE - In this photo provided by the News and Information Bureau, Malacanang Palace, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, takes his oath before Philippine Supreme Court Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes during inauguration ceremony in Malacanang Palace, June 30, 2016 in Manila, Philippines. Holding the bible is President Duterte's daughter Veronica. Others in photo are Duterte's children, from right, Paolo Duterte, Sarah Duterte and Sebastian Duterte. (The News and Information Bureau, Malacanang Palace via AP, file)
FILE - Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool, file)
