Ex-Philippine leader Duterte wins mayoral race, but can he govern from ICC jail?

Unclear whether he can legally perform official duties while locked up in The Hague

- Mara Cepeda

MANILA - Mr Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines' former strongman president, has just pulled off a political comeback for the history books. He won the mayoral race on May 12 in his southern stronghold of Davao City while locked up some 11,000km away in The Hague, where he is on trial for crimes against humanity.

It was a landslide victory for Mr Duterte, who garnered over 662,000 votes against the 80,000 for his rival Karlo Nograles, who once served in his Cabinet.

Mr Duterte, 80, is being detained by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his bloody war on drugs that left thousands dead. He was Davao's mayor for two decades before he became president from 2016 to 2022.

His children also swept local races: Sons Sebastian and Paolo won as city vice-mayor and House lawmaker for Davao's first district, respectively, while grandson Omar won as second district representative. Mr Paolo Duterte's other son Rigo secured a city council seat.

The patriarch's political heir is Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte, but she faces an impeachment trial in a move plotted by allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The midterm polls carried broader implications for the simmering Marcos-Duterte feud, with the partial, unofficial count so far indicating the breakthrough victories of the Vice-President's allies and independent opposition candidates in the Senate race.

Analysts called the outcome of the senatorial election a protest vote against the Marcos administration.