Philippines - September 2026

On 14 September, voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BAARMM) elected their regional parliament for the first time, replacing the appointed transitional authority. The vote marked a key step in implementing the 2014 peace agreement that ended four decades of conflict between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front – creating a path to regional self-government. Originally planned for May 2022, the elections were delayed by more than four years because of the Covid-19 pandemic, an incomplete electoral framework and legal disputes over parliamentary districting. Voter turnout reached 84.3 per cent, with over 2 million registered voters casting ballots. Observers found the election generally well administered, but reported violence, ballot problems and concerns over clan politics and armed actors. No party secured a majority, requiring negotiations to form the first elected Bangsamoro government. 

Sources: UNDP, ANFREL, Bangsamoro Attorney General’s Office

On 16 September, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress has a constitutional duty to prohibit political dynasties, finding that it had failed to fulfil this duty by not passing the required law for 39 years. The Court ordered Congress to act “with utmost urgency” and “at the earliest opportunity,” but set no deadline. The House of Representatives had passed a bill in June, while a related proposal remained under consideration in the Senate. Although intended to widen access to public office, election-monitoring, civil society and business groups warned that the bill’s limited scope could still allow political families to retain power and continue crowding out independent candidates. The Senate must still approve a measure, after which any differences between the two versions must be reconciled before a final bill is submitted to the President.

Sources: NAMFREL, Philstar, Supreme Court of the Philippines, Manila Bulletin