Philippines' Muslim autonomous region chief calls for peaceful election

Parang, Philippines (Kyodo) -- The chief minister of the Bangsamoro autonomous region in the Philippines, Abdulraof Macacua, has expressed his desire for the upcoming parliamentary election on September 14 to be conducted in a fair, clean, and peaceful manner. Macacua, serving as the interim government's chief minister, believes that a successful election would demonstrate progress in the 2014 peace accord between the central government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Running independently yet endorsed by the Bangsamoro Federalist Party, a prominent political party, Macacua intends to advocate for the completion of remaining provisions under the peace agreement, including the disarming of the remaining MILF combatants, should he be chosen as chief minister by the elected members of parliament.

Previously holding a key military position within the MILF during its armed conflict for independence that began in the 1970s, Macacua was appointed as chief minister by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last year.

The Bangsamoro Federalist Party faces competition from the United Bangsamoro Justice Party, affiliated with the MILF, led by Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, Macacua's predecessor in the interim government. The MILF has rejected Macacua's appointment and referred to it as a unilateral decision by the central government. Despite this disagreement, Macacua remains optimistic that the MILF will respect the election outcome, even if it means losing influence in Bangsamoro. Macacua stated, "If I lose, I will accept defeat definitely."

Under the peace agreement, the Bangsamoro region has been granted greater executive and economic powers than those of a typical local government. Approximately 2.4 million people are anticipated to cast their votes in the election of the 80-member parliament of the region. The election's date had been postponed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and legal obstacles.