Philippine President, Rodrigo Duterte Announces Retirement From Politics, Backs Out Of Elections

Philippine President, Rodrigo Duterte has on Saturday October 2, said he’s backing out of an announced plan to run for vice president in next year’s elections and will retire from politics after his term ends.

Prior to the announcement, Duterte had been expected to run for vice president. He is not eligible to run again for president as the constitution sets a single-six-year term limit for the president.

Duterte announced the surprise decision Saturday after his close aide, Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go, registered for the vice presidency instead.

He expressed;

The overwhelming… sentiment of the Filipinos is that I am not qualified and it would be a violation of the constitution to circumvent the law, the spirit of the constitution’ to run for the vice presidency. Today I announce my retirement from politics.

His decision potentially paving the way for his daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio to contest the country’s highest office.

Duterte, who polls show remains almost as popular as when he was swept to victory in 2016 on a promise to rid the country of drugs, is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term.

After coming into power, he launched a crackdown on illegal drugs that left more than 6,000 mostly petty suspects dead and alarmed Western governments and human rights groups.

The authoritarian firebrand declared in August he would contest the vice presidency in the next election – a move critics said was a smokescreen and motivated by fear that could face criminal charges after leaving office.

However, a recent poll by PulseAsia Research showed Duterte well back in second place among preferred vice presidents.

Also, a survey by Social Weather Stations showed 60 percent of Filipinos did not think Duterte’s run for the vice presidency was in the spirit of the constitution.

The tough-talking leader has not yet announced his preferred successor, but many expect it will be his daughter, Sara, who has been the front runner in recent polls.

She would likely protect Duterte from criminal charges in the Philippines, and International Criminal Court prosecutors probing his deadly drug war.

However, the mayor of the southern city of Davao – a position held by her father before he became president – has said she would not run if Duterte sought the vice presidency.

There was no immediate reaction from the president’s daughter, who has gone on a weeklong medical leave.

Candidates have until Friday October 8 to register, but withdrawals and substitutions are allowed until November 15, leaving scope for last-minute changes of heart, like the 11th-hour entry of Duterte for the 2016 election, which he won by a huge margin.