The Bangsamoro Federal Party emerged as the leading party in the first parliamentary elections of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), winning 16 seats, followed closely by the United Bangsamoro Justice Party with 15.
Based on the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) canvass for the Regional Parliamentary Political Party, the BARMM Grand Coalition secured eight seats, while the Raayat Democratic Party won one.
Thirteen political parties took part in the historic regional polls.
The BARMM Parliament has 80 seats in total, consisting of 40 party representatives, 32 district representatives and eight sectoral representatives.
The election results mark a major transition for BARMM as the region moves from an interim governing arrangement toward a fully elected parliamentary legislature.
COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia said voter participation reached 84.34%, with about 2.1 million voters casting their ballots in the September 14 elections, which were extended in some areas until September 15.
Garcia said the high turnout demonstrated strong voter participation in BARMM’s first parliamentary elections.
“Inabot ng 84.34%, ang voter’s turnout ng Bangsamoro, ganun kataas, halos kasaysayan ng ating bansa,” Garcia said in a radio interview.