COTABATO CITY — The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao held its first parliamentary elections on September 14, 2026. Nearly 2.4 million registered voters were eligible to cast ballots for 80 seats in the regional parliament.

Violence and irregularities marred the voting process in several areas. Three people were killed and 15 others were wounded in a shooting in Cotabato City late on Sunday, September 13, 2026. On election day, one person was killed following commotion at a polling station in Cotabato City.

Supporters of a political party damaged two vehicles belonging to a rival politician using steel bars in the same city. An improvised bomb blast injured the person carrying the explosive, and a gun was fired in Cotabato City but no one was hurt.

As of early Monday, 98.1 percent of polling stations in the Bangsamoro region were open to voters. More than 20,000 soldiers and police personnel were deployed to secure the elections in the Bangsamoro region. Polling stations closed at 7 p.m. local time, except in areas where voting was delayed.

The Commission on Elections receives 43.3 percent of BARMM poll Election Returns so far. Election officials targeted an 80 percent voter turnout for the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections.

The Bangsamoro region comprises five provinces, three cities, and 63 villages. Lanao del Sur has a registered voter base of over 700,000, the largest in the Bangsamoro region. There are 80 seats at stake in the Bangsamoro parliament elections, comprising 40 political party representatives, 32 district representatives, and eight sectoral representatives. The Bangsamoro region's chief minister will be elected by members of parliament in their first session rather than by direct vote.

"The elections stand on generations of Bangsamoro struggle for homeland, identity, and self-determination, in the face of dispossession, marginalization, conflict and sacrifice." said Commission on Elections Chairman Erwin Garcia. Sittie Ashuya L. H. Omar, a 22-year-old voter from the city of Marawi, expressed hope for the outcome. "Whoever wins, hopefully we will see change." said Sittie Ashuya L. H. Omar. She added, "Hopefully they can implement their promises."

Why It Matters

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao was established under a 2014 peace deal between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Under the 2014 peace deal, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front agreed to give up its goal of a separate Muslim state in exchange for broader autonomy. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front's 40,000 fighters promised to demobilize and join civilian life under the peace agreement. Since the 1970s, approximately 150,000 combatants and civilians have died in conflicts in the southern Philippines. In May 2017, Islamic State group-linked militants laid siege on Marawi, resulting in more than 1,100 deaths and widespread destruction.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front suspended the disarming of its remaining 14,000 fighters and 2,450 weapons, claiming the government had not fully complied with socio-economic commitments. On August 15, 2026, BARMM Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua’s convoy was ambushed. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said that the Bangsamoro Transition Authority will remain in place until elected officials assume office on Oct. 30 under Republic Act (RA) No. 12317, which moved the first regular parliamentary elections to the second Monday of September 2026.

Timeline

On the same date, under the 2014 peace deal, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front agreed to give up its goal of a separate Muslim state in exchange for broader autonomy.

What's New

Garcia said that the Bangsamoro Transition Authority will remain in place until elected officials assume office on Oct. 30 under Republic Act (RA) No. 12317, which moved the first regular parliamentary elections to the second Monday of September 2026. Garcia said that the commission placed Cotabato City under its direct control following violence that left three people dead and 15 others wounded before the polls opened, while Maluso in Basilan was similarly placed under Comelec control after pre-shaded ballots were discovered in 36 of its 68 precincts.

The Commission on Elections placed Cotabato City under its control and designated an administrator following the violence. Garcia said that the commission will not declare a failure of election in Maluso town, and he ordered the reprinting of ballots for the 36 precincts where ballots were compromised. Garcia said that the commission had identified those believed responsible for the pre-shading of ballots in Maluso, Basilan, and ordered the reprinting of ballots for the affected precincts.