LIVE UPDATES: First BARMM parliamentary elections
The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is holding its first parliamentary elections on September 14, 2026, after being postponed at least four times: first in May 2022, then in May 2025, October 2025, and again in March 2026.
The historic polls are seen as a pivotal moment in the decades-long peace process in a region that was mired in conflict and socioeconomic and political challenges. The upcoming elections are also a test for the Bangsamoro transition and the institutions and systems established in the last seven years.
Bookmark and refresh this page for the latest news, photos, videos, and analyses as Rappler closely follows the regional elections.
LATEST UPDATES
The dynasties, elites, and parties competing for power in BARMM
We’ve compiled the profiles of the candidates running in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s 32 districts and the 13 regional political parties all eyeing a seat in the Bangsamoro Parliament.
More than just looking at family connections, the articles below also reviewed the historical rivalries and recent connections formed prior to election day.
Here are the dynasties, elites, and parties vying for power in BARMM.
FACT CHECK: No Turkish police deployed to secure BARMM polls
Rappler.com
A September 6 Facebook post claims that Turkish police officers will be deployed to secure the upcoming BARMM parliamentary elections on September 14. This claim is false.
Election watchdog groups Independent Election Monitoring Center-BARMM and the Institute for Autonomy and Governance have debunked the claim, saying no foreign police force — including Turkey’s — can police another country’s elections.
Read more in this fact check.
BARMM election faces low-turnout risk amid violence, voter uncertainty
Some of the forces the peace process was meant to overcome remain powerful enough to influence whether people turn out to vote in the BARMM on September 14.
NAMFREL releases pre-election assessment
Poll watchdog National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections released on Tuesday, September 8, its pre-election assessment six days before the September 14 polls.
Below are some of its key findings:
- [The Commission on Elections’] technical and logistical readiness is strong. The automated election system, ballot materials, and legal calendar are all assessed ready.
- The principal risks to the election’s legitimacy are political, not mechanical. These include unresolved allegations of national-patronage interference in the [Moro Islamic Liberation Front] succession contest, and a widening gap between official and independently monitored security data.
- Critical infrastructure deserves close attention in the final days. The Mindanao Grid enters E-Day week with thin power-reserve margins, and internet connectivity remains uneven across [Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s] provinces.
Prevent outside influence in Bangsamoro polls, groups urge Marcos
Civil society groups urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, September 8, to prevent external actors from attempting to influence the outcome of the Bangsamoro parliamentary polls and undermine the autonomy the region fought hard for.
Duyog Bangsamoro, a coalition comprised of regional and national civic organizations, urged the national government to continue supporting the peace process “regardless of which parties win the elections.”
Read more here.
What parties are running in the BARMM elections?
‘That is their prerogative’
Amina Rasul, president of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy, said on Tuesday, September 8, that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is “within their right” in reaction to the organization’s move to strip commanders of their positions a few weeks before the polls.
Interim chief minister Abdulraof Macacua is among those stripped of their responsibilities in the MILF.
According to Rasul, the focus now for civil society, the public, and other concerned parties is ensuring that elections proceed peacefully.
Groups to Marcos gov’t: Take responsibilty toward elections seriously
Representatives of civil society convened on Tuesday, September 8, to urge President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to “take seriously its responsibility” toward the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections.
The coalition urged the national government to prevent actors outside the region from influencing the outcome of the elections and to assure political parties of the national government’s support in fulfilling the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
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