Philippines midterm elections spark intense political showdown between Marcos and impeached Duterte, amid tight security and rising tensions.

Millions of Filipinos headed to the polls on Monday in a midterm election widely regarded as a proxy battle between President Ferdinand Marcos and impeached Vice President Sara Duterte.

While midterm elections in the Philippines are typically more subdued, this year’s vote carries significant implications for the political futures of both leaders.

More than 18,000 government positions are at stake, including roles such as mayors, governors, and members of the House of Representatives—key figures who will serve the country’s population of over 110 million people.

Particular attention is being paid to the contest for more than a dozen seats in the 24-member Senate. These newly elected senators will play a pivotal role in any upcoming impeachment trial against Duterte, serving as half of the impeachment court’s jury. Should she fail to secure the support of at least 9 of the 24 senators, Duterte will be officially disqualified from holding public office again.

At the same time, President Marcos is seeking to solidify his political agenda and reinforce his influence ahead of the 2028 presidential succession.

According to AFP, voters began lining up at polling stations throughout Manila even before voting officially began at 7 a.m. local time (2300 GMT Sunday).

The deteriorating relationship between Marcos and Duterte has been brewing for some time. Their political fallout escalated dramatically in February when Vice President Sara Duterte was impeached by the Senate on charges of "high crimes," which reportedly included corruption and an alleged assassination plot against the president.

The political crisis deepened in March when her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested and transported to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. There, he is facing trial for alleged crimes against humanity stemming from his administration’s violent war on drugs—a campaign believed to have led to thousands of deaths.

Sara Duterte denounced her father's arrest as a "kidnapping," accusing President Marcos of undermining the Philippines’ sovereignty by allowing a former head of state to be detained by a foreign court.

“Who truly stands to benefit if the Duterte family is erased from this world?” she asked rhetorically during a campaign speech. “Not the Filipinos.”

Despite being in ICC custody in The Hague since March and awaiting trial, former President Duterte remains on the ballot as a mayoral candidate in his hometown of Davao City. Under Philippine law, individuals are only barred from running for office if they have been convicted of a crime and have exhausted all avenues for legal appeal. A local poll has predicted that Duterte is likely to win comfortably in the city, which has long been considered his stronghold.

Security across the Philippines has been significantly heightened due to the country’s history of election-related violence. National police forces have been on heightened alert for more than a week, deploying approximately 163,000 officers to safeguard polling sites and accompany election workers.

Additional personnel from the military, fire departments, and various government agencies have also been mobilized.

On the eve of the vote, the Philippine army reported that at least two individuals were killed during a violent clash between supporters of opposing political factions.