Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wins presidential election in Philippines

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Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the namesake son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, has won his election bid to become the president of the Philippines, according to available results.

Marcos seems to have handily won the election in a landslide Tuesday with over 30 million votes. An official tally may take weeks to complete, but initial numbers indicate Marcos won with nearly double the votes of the next closest contender.

“Even though the counting is not over yet, I cannot wait to thank all of you… to those who helped, to those who joined our fight, to those who sacrificed,” Marcos said.

REMEMBERING REVOLT THAT OUSTED FILIPINO DICTATOR

Marcos, who is often called by the nickname “Bongbong,” ran with populist candidate Sara Duterte Carpio as his prospective vice president. She is the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, who is the subject of an international investigation for alleged human rights violations during his bloody war on drugs.

Marcos is the son of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who ruled the Philippines from 1965 to 1986.

A former provincial governor, congressman and senator, the 64-year-old son of the late dictator is making the most impressive attempt yet of the Marcos family to recapture the presidency. His mother, Imelda Marcos, twice unsuccessfully attempted to retake the seat of power after returning with her children to the Philippines from exile in the United States, where her husband died in 1989.

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Marcos Jr. has defended his father’s legacy and steadfastly refuses to apologize for and acknowledge the atrocities and plunder during the dictatorship. Married to a lawyer, with whom he has three sons, he has stayed away from controversies, including a past tax conviction and the Marcos family’s refusal to pay a huge estate tax.

Throughout his campaign, he tenaciously stuck to a battle cry of national unity. He denies accusations that he financed a years-long social media campaign that harnessed online trolls to smear opponents and whitewash the Marcos family’s checkered history, daring critics to “show me one.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.