Nearly 2.4 million voters are set to cast their ballots in the Philippines’ Muslim-majority south’s first parliamentary election in the backdrop of heightened security after at least three people were killed in poll-related violence.
The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the country’s southwest portion of Mindanao island, was earlier affected by separatist conflict and extremism.
Monday’s historic election will complete its transition to self-governance.
George Erwin Garcia, the election commission chair, condemned the violence in which 15 people were also wounded but added that the elections for party-list representatives, district representatives, and sectoral seats across the BARMM region have been general peaceful so far.
The autonomous region spans parts of Mindanao, the Philippines' second-largest island, and a chain of dozens of small islands to the west once associated with piracy and banditry.
The election commission has also placed Cotabato city under its control after the violence flared up over an argument at a polling station, with local reports confirming gunfire.
Mr Garcia listed the logistical challenges, including reprinting ballots to replace pre-shaded ones that had been intercepted.
A successful voting is seen as a crucial test for the autonomous region nearly a decade after the violence peaked in the 2017 siege of Marawi city by the Islamic State-linked militants.
The region has long sought autonomy and by granting it, the authorities aim to halt a conflict that killed more than 120,000 people, displaced about two million, and helped extremist groups gain a foothold in the region.
“The election marks a milestone in the continuing journey of BARMM towards lasting peace, democratic governance and meaningful self-determination," president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a video message urging voters to take part in what he also described as a "defining moment" for the region and the country.
Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, chairman of the Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and also a candidate for parliament, said the election fulfilled a long-held aspiration of the Bangsamoro people to choose their own leaders through the ballot box.
"Our people have long aspired to have elections, where the people themselves can choose their leaders," Mr Ebrahim, who served as the region's interim chief minister until 2025, said after voting. The election outcome is expected to be known as early as Tuesday.
The voting precincts will close at 7pm local time (1100 GMT), but Mr Garcia said some may stay open until 9pm due to delayed opening.
International partners and peace monitors view the voting as a key test of whether the regional autonomy granted under a 2014 peace deal between Manila and Muslim separatists can be sustained through elected institutions.
A successful election will see a transition of powers by the agreement between Manila and the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim separatist group, with greater political and economic powers to be given to the Muslim-majority south through a subsequent law.
The BARMM region has a population of about 4.5 million people and covers parts of Mindanao, the Philippines' second-largest island, as well as Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Cotabato City and the Special Geographic Area in North Cotabato.
It replaced an earlier autonomy arrangement in the Muslim-majority south established under a previous peace agreement.
