MILF official: BARMM parliament majority seen on Oct. 30 vote

COTABATO CITY — Amid negotiations among political parties in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on forming a coalition to form its incoming government, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Vice Chairman Mohagher Iqbal on Saturday said that a final shape up will only emerge when parliament members eventually vote on Oct. 30.

Iqbal issued the comment as the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP) announced on Friday that it has secured the support of 46 of 80 elected members of the regional legislature.

Iqbal, who is a Member of Parliament-elect, dismissed the claim as “more a matter of optics than political reality.”

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In a post on social media, Iqbal said that in negotiations, nothing is agreed upon until it is formally signed.

“The ball is still round, so to speak. October has only just begun,” he said.

Iqbal said the outcome would depend on which party holds the stronger bargaining chips, adding that the national government would also weigh which political formula better serves the national interest.

The choice, according to Iqbal, is between “a united or a fractured BARMM.”

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Following the Sept. 14 regional parliamentary elections, the BFP secured 31 seats while the MILF’s United Bangsamoro Justice Party had 30.

Both can decide to coalesce to form a majority in parliament to elect the regular Chief Minister who will head the regional government as well as the Parliament Speaker and other key legislative officers.

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Either can also form a coalition mainly with the BARMM Grand Coalition which secured 16 seats.

The regular parliament is set to convene on Oct. 30 this year, for a term that will end on June 30, 2031. INQ /mr