Philippines' Duterte Withdraws from Next Year's Vice Presidential Election... "Respecting Public Opinion"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Rodrigo Duterte, the President of the Philippines, suddenly withdrew his declaration to run for vice president in next year's election.

On the 2nd (local time), major foreign media including the AP reported that President Duterte decided to retire from politics after completing his term next year and withdrew his plan to run for vice president.

President Duterte made this statement to reporters present at the site after his close aide, Senator Christopher Go, completed the registration for the vice presidential candidacy with the election commission.

Regarding the withdrawal of this plan, President Duterte explained that it was a decision made considering public opinion. He said, "The majority of Filipinos think I am not qualified and that it violates the constitution," adding, "I decided to respect the people's opinion."

According to a survey conducted by the Philippine polling agency SWS in June, 6 out of 10 respondents said that Duterte's candidacy for next year's vice presidential election would be a "violation of the constitution."

Opposition forces, including the opposition party, have speculated that Duterte could transfer power from the succeeding president after winning the vice presidency next year.

There has also been strong criticism that his orders during the war on drugs, which began immediately after his presidential inauguration, were a ploy to defend himself from judicial proceedings by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.

On the 15th of last month, the ICC approved the prosecutor's request to formally investigate the Philippine government's war on drugs, classifying it as a crime against humanity.

Since launching the crackdown on drug crimes in July 2016, over 6,000 deaths have occurred in the Philippines.

The Philippine president serves a single six-year term, and the president and vice president are elected separately. Duterte's daughter, Sara, the mayor of Davao, is currently leading in public opinion polls.

Manny Pacquiao, the Philippine boxing hero and senator, has also completed his registration as a presidential candidate.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.