COTABATO CITY (September 16) — The Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP) and United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) emerged as the leading political blocs in the first parliamentary elections of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), with the Bangsamoro Grand Coalition (BGC) in third place as partial counting continued Tuesday.
The latest partial, unofficial tally posted by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) showed BFP leading the regional party vote with 643,907 votes, or 34.9 percent, followed by UBJP with 599,053 votes, or 32.5 percent.
BGC ranked third with 380,084 votes, or 20.6 percent.
The figures, posted at about 1:03 a.m. Tuesday, covered the 13 participating political parties and remained partial and unofficial. PPCRV said its tally does not constitute the official canvass of votes.
Earlier, partial results from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) showed that its central operations center had received 5,089 of 5,212 expected election returns (ERs), or 97.67 percent, from Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte and Tawi-Tawi, as well as Marawi, Cotabato and Lamitan cities and the eight-town Special Geographic Area.
The near-complete transmission of ERs has begun to establish the emerging political picture, although the final distribution of the 80 Parliament seats will depend on the official canvass and application of the parliamentary electoral system.
BFP, UBJP race for political lead
The BFP-UBJP contest is significant beyond the party vote because the two blocs are also positioned to compete for leadership of the first regularly constituted BARMM government.
BFP is headed by incumbent BARMM interim Chief Minister Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua, while UBJP is led by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chair Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim.
Both leaders voted Monday in their respective hometowns. Ebrahim cast his ballot in Sultan Kudarat, while Macacua voted in Northern Kabuntalan, both in the Bangsamoro mainland.
Ebrahim earlier said UBJP would explore alliances with other accredited political parties as the elected Parliament prepares to choose the chief minister and speaker.
UBJP leaders have previously indicated that Ebrahim would be their choice for chief minister, a post he held during the BARMM transitional government.
BFP organizers, meanwhile, have said they intend to field Macacua for chief minister, citing alliances with other political parties and support from governors, mayors and congressional representatives in the region.
More than party votes at stake
The final composition of the 80-member Parliament will come from the party-list, district and sectoral components of the election.
Earlier partial unofficial results had placed UBJP and BFP close in the projected overall seat count because of their performance in both party and district contests. UBJP had appeared to secure 10 district seats, while BFP had 13, based on the earlier partial tabulation.
UBJP also appeared poised to take all six seats allocated to five sectoral groups — youth, women, traditional leaders, ulama and non-Moro settlers — under the partial results available at the time. The settlers’ sector has two seats, while the other five sectors have one seat each. The two seats for the Indigenous Peoples sector had already been filled through an assembly of constituent IP tribes.
Those figures, however, remain subject to the official canvass.
The election marks a major transition for BARMM, moving the region from its seven-year transitional government toward its first regularly constituted Parliament and a new elected executive leadership.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia said Monday that the poll body remained optimistic it could proclaim the winners of the first parliamentary elections on Tuesday.
As counting and canvassing move toward completion, the contest between BFP and UBJP is therefore not only about which party wins the largest share of the vote. It will also determine who can assemble the coalition needed to control the first elected Parliament and shape the next government of the Bangsamoro.
