Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte wants to win a senate seat after his departure as president. Therefore, he is not going to try to become vice president, according to top employees.
This means that Duterte will not have to compete in elections against his daughter Sara, who aspires to the vice presidency.
Duterte will not be able to run for re-election as president next year, and there is much speculation about his political future. The 76-year-old politician is internationally known as a controversial figure because of his crackdown on drug crime, which has cost the lives of thousands of people. In addition, police officers allegedly shot suspects without trial. The International Criminal Court in The Hague is investigating this.
If a confidant succeeds Duterte as president, he could protect him from prosecution. A top employee said last weekend that Duterte wants to become vice president. He is elected independently of the president. That announcement was striking because daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio (43) also applied to become vice president.
The president’s spokesman stressed on Monday that father and daughter are definitely not going to compete. “They love each other,” he said. Philippine media are now reporting that Duterte has registered for the senate election just before the deadline.
Duterte-Carpio, who is currently mayor, also had good cards to succeed her father as president, according to opinion polls. Duterte, 76, said in an interview that she did not understand why she did not try. “She’s at the top of the polls, so I wonder why she’s only running for the vice presidency.”