Coalition talks likely as no party dominates Philippines’ Bangsamoro region

Unofficial election results in the Muslim-majority autonomous region of Bangsamoro in the southern Philippines suggest no single party is on course to dominate parliament, meaning that coalition talks may be needed to choose the region’s first chief minister.

The election has been largely shaped by rival camps within the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a former separatist movement that negotiated autonomy with the Philippine government.

One camp, the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), is led by longtime Front chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, while the other, the Bangsamoro Federalist Party, is led by Abdulraof Macacua, a former Front commander appointed interim chief by Philippine President Marcos Jr in 2025.

According to partial and unofficial results from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, a church-backed election watchdog, 98.56 percent of the party-list votes have been counted so far.

According to the unofficial results, Macacua’s camp is leading the vote with 35.2 percent, ahead of Murad’s bloc at 32.4 percent.

The BARMM Grand Coalition, the third party on the ballot, has gained 20.5 percent of the vote so far and could emerge as a key player in balancing power in coalition negotiations.

Reporting from Marawi in the southern Philippines, Al Jazeera’s Barnaby Lo said the unofficial results suggest a hung parliament is likely.

“The parties will now have to negotiate to form a coalition government in order to move forward,” Lo said.