Manila, Philippines — Allies of President Rodrigo Duterte stormed to a landslide victory in the midterm polls, final results showed Wednesday, dissolving a last check on his controversial rule. Loyalists won both houses of the legislature, shutting out all opposition candidates in the Senate, which had served as a buffer against Duterte’s most contentious plans. Duterte allies kept control of the lower House of Representatives, which has approved legislation to bring back capital punishment and rewrite the Constitution since Duterte’s 2016 election. Duterte has pitched constitutional reform to turn the Asian country into a decentralized federal republic where regions would have the power to fix local problems. “Voters were unable to relate to the issues highlighted by the opposition in the election, which was all about defeating Duterte,” Casiple said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 22, 2019 10:21 UTC