Philippines elects new president, and Marcos Jr. is the frontrunner

Filipinos head to the polls on Monday to elect a new president in a race that could see the son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos take over 36 years after toppling the family amid widespread abuse and corruption.

Pre-election polls showed former Senator Ferdinand "Pongbong" Marcos Jr., the frontrunner in the presidential race to replace incumbent Rodrigo Duterte, whose daughter, Mayor Sarah Duterte Carpio, is leading the race for vice president.

Vice President Lenny Robredo is in second place in the electoral race, which includes 10 candidates, but analysts indicated that a tidal wave of support for her candidacy could stop Marcos Jr.'s victory in a competition similar to what happened six years ago when she won it.

Robredo defeated Marcos Jr. in a fierce 2016 contest for the vice president position.

Although Marcos lodged a protest alleging fraud, his complaint was eventually ignored.

In an opinion poll, published a week before the elections, Marcos Jr. was the preferred choice of 56% of the 2,400 people who participated in the poll, which covered various parts of the country, from April 16 to 21, while Robredo came in second place with its 23%, according to the Pulse Asia Research Institute.

Marcos Jr. vowed to be "president for all" and urged his supporters to vote for his full slate Monday.

He called on his supporters not to turn a blind eye on election night to ensure that their votes are properly counted.

"You know that if you leave the counting process unattended, sometimes some undesirable things can happen," he told his supporters at his last election rally.

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