Internet State

The parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) resulted in a hung parliament, with two rival parties from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front each securing over 30 percent of the vote but failing to obtain the 41 seats needed for a majority in the 80-member assembly. After roughly 99 percent of the votes were counted, concerns about potential renewed violence were raised, especially from former fighters who have yet to be disarmed. The elections experienced incidents of violence, with at least three people reported dead and several others wounded on election day, although authorities noted that the voting was largely peaceful.

Unofficial election results in the Bangsamoro region of the Philippines indicate no single party is likely to dominate parliament, resulting in potential coalition negotiations to select the first chief minister. The United Bangsamoro Justice Party, led by Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, garnered 32.4% of the vote, while the Bangsamoro Federalist Party, led by Abdulraof Macacua, is in the lead with 35.2%, and the BARMM Grand Coalition received 20.5%. The election had a turnout of approximately 80%, with about 1.8 million votes cast from 2.39 million registered voters, to fill a total of 80 parliamentary seats.

Nearly 2.4 million voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are participating in the first parliamentary elections since the region's establishment in 2019, with 80 seats available including 40 political party representatives, 32 district representatives, and 8 sectoral representatives. Election officials aim for a turnout of at least 80 percent, yet incidents of violence disrupted the process, including a shooting that left three dead and 15 injured in Cotabato City, prompting its control by the Commission on Elections. The event marks the end of the transition period under the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, following a conflict that has claimed around 150,000 lives since the 1970s.

On September 13, 2026, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will hold its first parliamentary election since its establishment in 2018, marking the end of the transition period under the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA). The elections occur amidst heightened tensions within the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), with internal divisions leading to the emergence of two competing factions and raising public concerns about potential post-election unrest and issues like vote-buying and electoral fraud. The election is a critical test of the Philippine government's commitment to the peace process and the MILF's dedication to democratic governance, amidst a history of armed conflict and failed political experiments like the previous Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).