Election in Philippines’ Bangsamoro region ends in hung parliament

The first parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao produced a hung parliament, with no party winning the 41-seat majority in the 80-member legislature, unofficial partial results show. Two rival parties that trace their roots to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front each received just over 30 percent of the vote in a count reported by GMA News, with more than 99 percent of ballots tallied.

By AI NewsroomPublished about 11 hours agoUpdated about 11 hours ago0 views

Election in Philippines’ Bangsamoro region ends in hung parliament

Why It Matters

The outcome complicates governance in a region emerging from decades of conflict and built on a 2014 peace deal that led to autonomy, as leaders will need to form coalitions to govern while security concerns and unresolved grievances from past violence persist. How parties cooperate will shape prospects for lasting peace, reconstruction and delivery of promised aid.

Key Facts

Region: Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
Type of election: First parliamentary election for BARMM
Parliament size: 80 members
Majority threshold: 41 seats
Vote count reported: More than 99% counted (as of Tuesday evening, partial count by GMA News)

Unofficial results from partial counts indicate that no party secured a majority in the newly elected Bangsamoro parliament, producing a hung assembly in the southern Philippines' Muslim-majority region. With over 99 percent of votes tallied in the partial count reported by GMA News, two rival parties born out of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front each captured slightly more than 30 percent of the vote, but neither reached the 41-seat threshold in the 80-member legislature.

The election follows a long transition from armed struggle to political participation: the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed a landmark peace agreement in 2014, and the front helped run the interim regional administration after voters approved autonomy in 2019. Internal tensions rose last year when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. backed Abdulraof Macacua, a former front commander, to replace longtime MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim as the region’s chief minister. Macacua leads the Bangsamoro Federalist Party and has said forming a coalition with other parties is unavoidable after the vote. Ebrahim’s United Bangsamoro Justice Party likewise signaled openness to alliance-building if it does not win a majority.

Authorities described the poll as generally peaceful, though multiple shooting incidents on election day left at least three people dead and several others wounded. Brigadier General Jemuel Siason, deputy police director of the Bangsamoro region, said security forces will remain deployed and on high alert as winners are proclaimed. Minority voices and some residents voiced fears that electoral setbacks for the UBJP could reignite conflict, noting that the front has paused disarming of former fighters while waiting for government promises of aid to be fulfilled.

The election also highlighted the stakes for communities still recovering from past violence. Voters recounted memories of displacement and destruction from clashes and sieges, including the 2017 siege of Marawi City, and many are seeking restitution and reconstruction. Observers such as Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, who led peace talks for the government, commended local parties for building electoral capacity and engaging in politics by the established rules — underscoring that cooperation among elected groups will be crucial to translating the region’s autonomy into stable governance and delivery of services.