Risk of further autocratization in the Philippines

Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. won the Filipino presidential election on May 9, 2022. His father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was the authoritarian ruler of the Philippines between 1965 and 1986. The Philippines democratized significantly after Marcos Sr.’s exile. However, once President Duterte came into power in 2016, he implemented numerous authoritarian policies undermining all aspects of liberal democracy, as demonstrated in this week’s drill-down graph.

The future of the Philippines’ democracy is uncertain. President-elect Marcos Jr. recently called his father a “political genius.” Fearing further autocratization, several human rights organizations have asked the supreme court to void his victory on the basis of tax evasion.

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