The polls have closed for the presidential elections in the Philippines in 2022, and the country appears set for the resurgence of a political dynasty that ruled for over two decades.
As of 4.30 p.m., around 98.2% of the precincts had been accounted for. An unofficial tally in Manila shows that Ferdinand "Bong Bong" Marcos Jr., the son of a deposed dictator, won the presidential election.
The result has already been met with protests and accusations of voter fraud, though the ballots are overwhelmingly in Marcos Jr.'s favor. The incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo has a vote count of less than 15 million, while the older man holds more than 30 million votes.
Marcos Jr.'s lead could come as a surprise to outsiders, given his track record and family history. He is running against Robredo, a human rights lawyer and economist who spearheaded bills on spending disclosure and tax transparency.
Marcos Jr.'s win is likely no surprise, given that he already led by a wide margin in opinion surveys.
Political scientists who spoke to Insider explained some of the critical factors of his success: his powerful disinformation campaign, his allies among the political elite, and the transformation of his family's image that began decades ago.
Marcos Jr.'s presidential campaign professor at the University of the Philippines, Maria Ela Atienza, told Insider that Marcos Jr.'s father's rule was seen as a "golden age" by the professor.
He is not talking about himself, but about the golden years of the Philippines.
The strategy has been dubbed authoritarian nostalgia by some experts. Remembering martial law as a time of prosperity for the Philippines requires one to overlook a lot of human rights abuses that took place then.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s father oversaw years of torture, killings, and the displacement of thousands. He was overthrown in a 1986 revolution.
Marcos Jr. tried to scrub off the stains of his father's characterization. He doesn't apologize for his father's crimes or defend the dictator as someone who protected the Philippines from external threats.
Marcos Jr. and his supporters have presented the rule of his father to younger voters as an era marked by a booming economy, infrastructure developments, and well-maintained law and order.
The facts and records point to a period of economic downturn, malnutrition, high unemployment, and stagnant agricultural industries. The Philippines' economic growth plummeted to as low as -7.32% in those years, and the country's external debt soared from $360 million four years before the dictator came into power.
The Marcos family owes the Philippines more than $6 billion for ill-gotten wealth and not paying taxes. Marcos Jr. has dismissed the charges as fake news and there are fears that he may squash the case against his family once he becomes president.
Voters have ignored the Marcos family&s reputation because of the disappointment felt after Marcos was removed from power.
There were high expectations for the economy and the political system. She told Insider that the road to democratization has been difficult.
She said that the benefits have not trickled down to the poorer Filipinos.
People who were not affected by martial law are more likely to return to a more orderly system.
The daughter of the Philippines' incumbent strongman is one of the key factors in Marcos Jr.'s victory.
In the Philippines, the president and vice-president are elected separately and can represent different parties.
In November, Marcos Jr. dropped out of the presidential race in order to make way for Duterte in the vice-presidential race.
The Marcos-Duterte alliance allowed Marcos Jr. to cover regions where support for him is weak but sentiment for him is strong.
Getting to partner with a man is not a political feat that Marcos Jr. could have achieved overnight.
After his father died in exile, Marcos Jr. was allowed to return to the Philippines. He and his family began to reestablish ties with local leaders in regions where support for them still existed.
Their efforts began to pay off when his mother ran for president in 1992. More than 10%. He said that it was just six years after 1986.
The person who was so ostentatious that globally she is known as the one who had 3,000 pairs of shoes is a person.
The Marcos family started changing its name in the early years.
Marcos Jr. became governor and senator between 1998 and 2016 in his father's old stronghold of Ilocos Norte, although Atienza said his political career was unremarkable for a presidential candidate.
He narrowly lost the vice presidency to Robredo. The Supreme Court ruled that the vote had been fair, despite Marcos Jr.'s claims that the election was stolen.
That narrative has fed into a malicious campaign aimed at Robredo, who has been called the biggest victim of misinformation or negative messaging in the Philippines.
False online claims about Robredo include her flashing a satanic symbol at youth volunteers and her daughter being connected to sexually explicit material.
A fact-checking group said that almost all of the flagged false information is favorable to Marcos Jr. There are false claims of him getting endorsements.
Marcos Jr. has been vague about how he will run the country or fulfill promises like lowering food prices and unifying the country.
She said that it remains to be seen if he will forge and maintain relationships with the police and military the way he has with the drugs war.
There are signs that the presumptive president-elect's critics are unhappy with Marcos Jr.'s rule. A political expert declined an interview with Insider because of the risk of speaking out against Marcos.
There are a lot of fears about another Marcos presidency, but we don't really know how he will govern. He is the son of Ferdinand Marcos.
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