Muslim Philippine Region Votes in First Parliament Election
Muslim Philippine Region Votes in First Parliament Election
The News
Voters in a predominantly Muslim autonomous region of the southern Philippines are casting ballots in the area's first-ever parliamentary election, a vote meant to lock in a peace deal that ended four decades of conflict.
Polls opened Monday in the Bangsamoro region, more than a decade after the Philippine government struck an agreement with separatists there, Bloomberg reported.
It is the first time the region's residents will choose their own parliament outright.
Timeline
Separatist fighting tore through the predominantly Muslim south of the Philippines before a negotiated settlement brought it to an end, according to Bloomberg.
The Philippine government and separatist leaders signed the peace deal that created the autonomous arrangement now being put to voters.
News organizations including The Independent and Al Jazeera publish previews of the vote, describing it as a turning point for a region with a long history of conflict.
Voting begins. The Associated Press, Bloomberg and The Independent all report ballots being cast in the region's first parliamentary election.
Reactions
Bloomberg framed the election as an attempt to "cement peace" — the practical test of whether an agreement signed on paper survives contact with ballot boxes.
Al Jazeera, in an opinion piece, called the vote "a turning point" and "a milestone of the self-determination fight" in the region, arguing that the overriding priority is keeping the election peaceful and fair.
Coverage from the Associated Press and The Independent centered on the same question: whether a region defined for 40 years by armed conflict can settle its politics by voting.
What's Next
Results from the parliamentary vote are expected to determine who governs the autonomous region and how the peace framework is carried forward.
The near-term test is security and credibility — whether the count is accepted as fair and whether polling day passes without violence.
More
The Philippines is a US treaty ally, and its restive south has drawn American attention for years because of the Islamist militancy that took root during the long conflict. A functioning, elected regional government is the strongest argument the peace deal's backers have that the fighting is over for good.
Poll
Can an election lock in a peace deal after 40 years of conflict?
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