Son of Former Philippine Dictator Wins Landslide Presidential Victory |
Thirty-six years after a revolution ousted his father from power, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appears to have won the Philippines’ presidential election (Rappler) yesterday with roughly double the votes of his nearest opponent, Leni Robredo. Marcos Jr.’s ally Sara Duterte, the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, won the vice presidency in a separate election.
The alliance with Duterte suggests that Marcos Jr. could continue his predecessor’s hard-line war on drugs and his warm relations with China. Marcos Jr. and Duterte campaigned on a message of national unity, and a social media drive associated with the campaign depicted the Philippines’ military rule (Nikkei) under Marcos Jr.’s father as a time of prosperity.
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“Marcos’s carefully planned journey to the presidency shows how social media can shape perception and politics in a highly online country, which has been dubbed the ‘patient zero’ of disinformation after Duterte first won with the help of troll farms in 2016,” the Washington Post’s Regine Cabato and Sammy Westfall write.
“Marcos Jr, despite some historically warm ties to China, is going to be constrained by public opinion and the Philippine security establishment if he wants to shift the Philippines back toward closer strategic ties with Beijing and away from those with Washington,” CFR’s Joshua Kurlantzick writes for the Asia Unbound blog. |
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New South Korean President Sworn In |
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Seven Killed During Sri Lanka Protests |
More than two hundred people were injured as pro- and anti-government protesters clashed (CNN) outside Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s home after he resigned yesterday. Rajapaksa was rescued from the compound in a military operation. Pakistan: Authorities have detained dozens of people accused of criticizing the military on social media, Nikkei reports. Pakistan’s top investigative agency has connected the messages to a coordinated attack by the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was ousted last month. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
EU’s Borrell: ‘Don’t Give Up on Syria’ |
International donors held a sixth pledging conference today (AFP) to support humanitarian efforts in Syria, now in its eleventh year of war. European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged donors to reject ‘fatigue’ and contribute even as crises in Ukraine and elsewhere also demand attention.
UAE/Greece: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a deal (Al-Monitor) with Greece to invest more than $4.2 billion in Greece’s agriculture, energy, and health-care sectors, among others. |
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South Africa Scales Back COVID-19 Vaccination Drive Over Lack of Demand |
Keeping some vaccination sites open has become unaffordable given the lack of demand, a health official told Bloomberg. Only around half of South Africa’s adult population is fully vaccinated.
Kenya: A former Facebook content moderator sued Facebook’s parent company (Reuters), Meta, and a local outsourcing company over working conditions that allegedly violate Kenya’s constitution, including irregular pay and union busting. |
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Russian Finance Ministry Projects Worst Economic Contraction Since 1994 |
A leaked Finance Ministry forecast projects that Russia’s economy is likely to shrink by as much as 12 percent this year, Bloomberg reported.
U.S./Italy: Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi will meet U.S. President Joe Biden (ANSA) at the White House today. They are expected to discuss the war in Ukraine. |
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U.S. Charges Third Person in Relation to 2021 Murder of Haitian President |
Former Haitian Senator John Joel Joseph appeared in a U.S. court (Al Jazeera) yesterday on charges related to the murder of Haitian President Jovenel Moise last July, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
At this CFR virtual event, Jacqueline Charles, Joel Dreyfuss, Daniel L. Foote, and Johanna Mendelson-Forman discuss Haiti’s overlapping crises.
Ecuador: At least forty-three people died during a prison riot (CNN) that broke out between rival gangs in northern Ecuador. |
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Over Six Thousand Ukrainians Approved for U.S. Entry |
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Study: World Has 48 Percent Chance of Exceeding 1.5°C of Warming in Five Years |
The study conducted by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Kingdom’s Meteorological Office calculated (FT) that there is a 48 percent chance that the earth’s average temperature will reach 1.5°C (2.7°F) above preindustrial levels in the next five years. Preventing warming above that threshold has been a central goal for international climate negotiations. |
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