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Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of the late dictator, is set to become the Philippines’ next president after taking an unassailable lead in the election, signalling an extraordinary rehabilitation of one of the country’s most notorious political families.

With more than 70% of the votes tabulated, Marcos Jr had more than 23.5m, far ahead of his closest rival, the current vice-president, Leni Robredo, a former human rights lawyer, who had 11.1m. The size of his lead means a comeback by his opponents is not possible.

Supporters dressed in red shirts, his campaign colour, gathered outside his camp’s headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Monday night, waving the flag of the Philippines as passing cars sounded their horns.

Marcos thanked volunteers and political leaders “that have cast their lot with us” in a late-night video message, but he stopped short of claiming victory. “Let’s wait until it’s very clear, until the count reaches 100%, then we can celebrate,” he said.

Marcos Jr, 64, ran with the slogan “Together we shall rise again”, invoking nostalgia for his father’s authoritarian regime, which the family and its supporters have portrayed as a golden era in a campaign fuelled by online disinformation as social media has been flooded with false stories that have swept aside the atrocities and corruption widespread during the period.

Such portrayals have horrified survivors of Marcos Sr’s brutal regime. Thousands of political opponents were tortured, arrested and disappeared under his rule, while as much as $10bn was plundered.

Marcos Sr was ousted in the People Power revolution in 1986, when the family was humiliatingly airlifted from the presidential palace by helicopter, and fled into exile.

Ever since, say analysts, the Marcoses have sought to rebrand themselves and regain their place in politics. “The disinformation infrastructure has been there for a long time. It’s not as if it just sprouted during this campaign. The Marcoses’ plan to reach the presidency has been in action for decades,” said Aries Arugay, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, who is based in Manila.

Marcos Jr had maintained a clear lead over his opponents in surveys conducted in the run-up to the vote, with Robredo second. A former human rights lawyer who has advocated for marginalised groups, she campaigned on a promise of good governance and an end to corruption.

People began lining up to vote before polling centres opened at 6am local time (2300 BST) on Monday morning, and some waited more than four hours in the heat as malfunctioning voting machines caused delays. The vote followed three months of fierce campaigning, in which 2 million Robredo volunteers launched an unprecedented door-to-door campaign to try to win over voters and counter the onslaught of online disinformation.

Although Marcos Jr has denied the existence of any organised online campaign, he was the overwhelming beneficiary of false claims circulating on social media. The majority of disinformation was either designed to undermine Robredo’s reputation or enhance the images of the Marcoses, according to analysis by the fact-checking coalition Tsek.ph, which monitored disinformation in the run-up to the election.

Marcos Jr has avoided TV debates and challenging media interviews ahead of the election, and his campaign has been thin on policy detail.

Leni Robredo queues as she waits to vote in Magarao, Camarines Sur. Photograph: Lisa Marie David/Reuters

Marcos Jr’s candidacy has polarised opinion, and some do not believe that the family has plundered state wealth, despite court rulings at home and abroad.

At Santa Ana elementary school, in a residential area of Manila, which opened as a polling station, Raquel Deguzaman, 59, said she supported Marcos Jr and did not believe the family was corrupt. “[Marcos Sr] was able to help the Philippines. He’s really good,” she said, adding that he had built infrastructure, including hospitals.

Jack Drescher, 58, who was on his way to vote, also cited the building of infrastructure under Marcos Sr as a reason for backing his son. He was not concerned about corruption within the family, he said. “He has a lot of gold so he won’t steal any money,” he said, adding that he had heard this from YouTube.

A myth claiming that the Marcoses own large stashes of gold has circulated online in various forms for years, including the claim that it will be given back to the people if the family is returned to power.

The idea that Marcos Sr’s rule was a prosperous and peaceful era appeals to a generation of voters who did not live through Marcos Sr’s martial law regime, including those who “may harbour deep dissatisfaction with the non-inclusive development of the past 30 or so years,” said Ronald Mendoza, dean of Manila’s Ateneo school of government.

Cleo Anne A Calimbahin, an associate professor of political science at De La Salle University Manila, said the results should not come as a surprise but that they were sobering. They reflected in part a growing frustration among the public with previous administrations.

“I think this is a response of a public that saw the lack of progress made since 1986,” said Calimbahin, referencing the People Power revolution that put the Philippines on the road to democracy, a process that has not been linear.

“Unfortunately, the reforms agenda and its inability to deliver since 1986 has made people even wary of reformist candidates,” said Calimbahin.

The election winner will take office on 30 June for a single six-year term.

Source Article from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/09/ferdinand-marcos-jr-triumph-philippines-presidential-election

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the president’s office, said that “everyone should be ready, first, to save electricity, and second, rolling power blackouts are also possible if strikes continue”.

Source Article from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63297239

Akram, 44, was shot dead by the FBI after the 10-hour standoff in Colleyville, near Dallas, with all four hostages unharmed.

Source Article from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60063148

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died on Friday after being shot while giving a campaign speech, officials said. He was 67.

The big picture: Abe, who was most recently in office from December 2012 to September 2020, was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. He resigned in 2020 for health reasons but remained influential in politics.

What happened: Abe was shot while giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara ahead of Sunday’s elections for the parliament’s upper house, NHK reported.

  • He was rushed to the hospital, but showed no vital signs, per NHK. He sustained two gunshot wounds, and died shortly after 5 pm local time, health officials said at a press conference.
  • Police have arrested the suspected shooter, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, according to NHK. The former Japanese Navy member was reportedly discontent with Abe and wanted to kill him as a result, but not due to political differences.
  • The gun found at the scene was apparently handmade. Police said Saturday that the bullet entered Abe’s left arm and damaged arteries beneath his collar bones, causing fatal bleeding, AP reports.
  • Shootings are extremely rare in Japan — a country with some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the world. There were 10 shootings and one gun-related death in Japan last year, the Washington Post notes.
  • Abe’s widow, Akie Abe, will travel with his body to Tokyo, where his family is located, his office told CNN. Funeral arrangements will be made thereafter.
  • Abe’s body was returned to his home in Tokyo on Saturday, per AP.

What they’re saying: “He was working for peace and stability in Japan and the world,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said following confirmation of Abe’s death

  • “He was a dear friend who loved this country,” Kishida added. “To lose such a figure in this manner is absolutely devastating.”
  • Earlier Friday, Kishda called the attack against Abe “barbaric and malicious and cannot be tolerated.”
  • “This is not a forgivable act,” Kishida said, adding that authorities will “take appropriate measures to handle the situation.”

World leaders expressed shock and outrage over the assassination.

  • “This is shocking. It’s profoundly disturbing… It’s also such a strong personal loss for so many people,” U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken told reporters in Indonesia where he is attending a gathering of G20 foreign ministers.
  • “In the United States, Prime Minister Abe was an extraordinary partner. And someone who clearly was a great leader for Japan,” Blinken added.
  • “Mr Abe was one of the first world leaders I met when I became Prime Minister. He was always focused, thoughtful, and generous,” New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement.

  • “This act of violence against Japan’s longest serving Prime Minister is unfathomable, and we stand with Japan in its condemnation of what has happened today.”
  • President Biden said in a statement that he was “stunned, outraged, and deeply saddened” by Abe’s death. “This is a tragedy for Japan and for all who knew him.”

Background: Abe gained prominence in national politics in the early 2000s, per the New York Times.

  • He first became prime minister in 2006, but abruptly resigned a year later after several political scandals.
  • Abe returned for a second stint as premier in 2012, vowing to revive the economy and amend the country’s pacifist Constitution — a goal he failed to accomplish due to poor public support.
  • The end of his tenure saw strong ties with the U.S., particularly former President Trump.
  • By the time he announced he was stepping down in 2020, citing ongoing health issues with ulcerative colitis, his popularity had declined over his handling of the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of political scandals, per the Times.
  • His more than seven years in office offered a rare steady hand at the top of Japanese politics. The country had been known for its frequent prime ministerial turnover before he took office in 2012.

Go deeper: World leaders express shock over assassination of Japan’s Shinzo Abe

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.

Source Article from https://www.axios.com/2022/07/08/former-japanese-prime-minister-collapses-during-speech