Bangsamoro Federalist Party leads BARMM's first parliamentary elections

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao held its first parliamentary elections on Monday, September 14, and by mid-morning Tuesday the shape of the results had become clear: the Bangsamoro Federalist Party was leading the field, though the count remained incomplete. With 98.4% of precincts reporting—5,129 of 5,212 election results transmitted to the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting by 10:45 a.m.—the BFP had accumulated 659,405 votes, edging out the United Bangsamoro Justice Party's 607,966. The BARMM Grand Coalition trailed in third with 386,027 votes. Thirteen registered political parties were competing for 40 regional parliamentary seats, which would be distributed proportionally based on each party's vote share. To qualify for representation, a party needed to secure at least 2.5% of the total valid votes cast.

The election itself had proceeded despite reports of violence, and turnout had been substantial. Roughly 80% of registered voters in the autonomous region participated in the balloting, a significant showing for what amounted to a foundational democratic exercise for the newly established Bangsamoro government. The voting was structured to fill multiple categories of representation: regional parliamentary party representatives, settler community seats, and sectoral representatives for women, youth, the ulama, and traditional leaders. Each category had its own slate of candidates and its own vote tallies.

In the settler communities category—a designation reflecting the region's demographic complexity—Yul Adelfo Olaya of the UBJP led with 745,751 votes, followed by Mary Ann Arnado, also of the UBJP, with 686,447. Ongpin Yu Ekey of the BFP came third with 395,976 votes. For the women's sectoral representative position, Aida Silongan of the UBJP had drawn 721,141 votes, well ahead of Ruby Sahali of the BGC at 509,510. In the youth category, Sulffy Abbas of the UBJP led with 645,941 votes, while Jeff Adiong of the BGC received 593,164. The ulama sectoral representative race showed Muhammad Nadzir Ebil of the UBJP in front with 673,659 votes. For traditional leaders, Marjanie Macasalong of the UBJP had accumulated 710,681 votes, with Sultan Pax Mangudadatu of the BGC second at 432,786.

The UBJP's strong showing across multiple categories suggested it had built a broad coalition of support, though the BFP's lead in the overall party vote count indicated it retained significant backing among voters prioritizing party-level representation. The BGC, the third major contender, had secured enough votes to position itself as a consequential force in the new parliament. Smaller parties—the Raayat Democratic Party, Pro Bangsamoro Party, Bangsamoro Party, BEST Party, and others—had also fielded candidates, though their vote totals suggested they would face a steeper climb to reach the 2.5% threshold needed for proportional representation.

With 83 precincts still pending as of mid-morning Tuesday, the final tallies remained subject to change, though the margins were substantial enough that major shifts seemed unlikely. The Commission on Elections was expected to proclaim the winners across all categories on Tuesday evening, once the remaining returns had been received and verified. The election marked a significant moment for the Bangsamoro region, which had transitioned from a conflict-affected area to an autonomous political entity with its own elected parliament. The turnout and the competitive nature of the races suggested that voters had engaged seriously with the process, despite the security challenges that had accompanied the balloting.