The dynasties, elites, and parties competing for power in BARMM

Decades of conflict and peacebuilding will culminate on Monday, September 14 — the day when more than two million Filipinos of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will cast their votes in the regional parliamentary elections. The momentous elections matter not just because it is the first of its kind but because the Bangsamoro people will decide the set of leaders that will hopefully overcome the region’s challenges of self-governance and its history of neglect and underdevelopment . The people’s memory of the Moro struggle , infused with the trauma of rido (clan feuds), poverty, and the threat of insurgency, will be tested as the list of candidates contains aspirants belonging to the region’s powerful political dynasties and former combatants, whose loyalties lie with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front or MNLF.

We’ve compiled the profiles of the candidates running in the region’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. What parties are running in the BARMM elections? There are 13 regional political parties and nearly 700 candidates seeking seats in the Bangsamoro Parliament. While this political participation in the region may broaden and offer BARMM voters a wider range of choices, the Asian Network for Free Elections and other watchdog groups say that the heightened tensions between the parties — made worse by clan and dynastic politics — could raise concerns over peace and security during the election period. Watch…