Philippine presidential election, 1986
Encyclopedia
The Presidential and Vice-Presidential snap election
s were held on February 7, 1986 in the Philippines
.
announced a snap election during an interview on the American Broadcasting Company
political affairs program This Week with David Brinkley
on November 1985.
Marcos and former Foreign Affairs Minister and Senate President Arturo Tolentino
were proclaimed winners by the Batasang Pambansa
as well as the official election canvasser, the Commission on Elections
(COMELEC) thus granting President Marcos another six-year term as President of the Philippines
. The electoral exercise was marred by alleged electoral fraud
as well as violence. Marcos and Tolentino won by over a million votes according to the COMELEC. The opposition headed by Sen. Benigno Aquino, Jr.
's widow Corazon C. Aquino
and former senator Salvador Laurel
refused to accept the allegedly fraudulent result. Due to the reports of fraud, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP
) issued a statement condemning the elections, the United States Senate passed a resolution stating the same. This chain of events eventually led to the resignation of Marcos' Defence Minister Juan Ponce Enrile
and military vice-chief Fidel Ramos, who then decided to seclude themselves in the military and police headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame respectively, leading to the People Power Revolution which precipitated Marcos's departure from the country into exile in Hawaii. On March 24, 1986, the Regular Batasang Pambansa
made a people's resolution signed by 150 lawmakers which nullified the election returns that proclaimed that Marcos and Tolentino as the winners. Instead, it mandated that Aquino and Laurel were the real winners of the snap elections.
NAMFREL Tally
NAMFREL Tally
Snap election
A snap election is an election called earlier than expected. Generally it refers to an election in a parliamentary system called when not required , usually to capitalize on a unique electoral opportunity or to decide a pressing issue...
s were held on February 7, 1986 in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Background
President Ferdinand E. MarcosFerdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
announced a snap election during an interview on the American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
political affairs program This Week with David Brinkley
This Week (ABC TV series)
This Week is ABC's Sunday morning political affairs program.The Sunday morning talk show has aired on Sunday mornings on ABC since 1981; the program is initially aired at 9:00 AM ET, although many stations air the program later, especially those in other time zones...
on November 1985.
Marcos and former Foreign Affairs Minister and Senate President Arturo Tolentino
Arturo Tolentino
Arturo Modesto Tolentino was a prominent political figure in the Philippines who briefly held the position of vice president in 1986. He is more well known as the father of the Philippine “archipelagic doctrine” and expert on the Law of the Sea.-Early career:Arturo M. Tolentino was born in Manila...
were proclaimed winners by the Batasang Pambansa
Batasang Pambansa
The Batasang Pambansa , also known by its nickname, the Batasan, was the former parliament of the Philippines, established as an interim assembly in 1978 and finally as an official body in 1984. Under the 1973 constitution, it replaced the former Congress established under the 1935 Commonwealth...
as well as the official election canvasser, the Commission on Elections
Commission on Elections (Philippines)
The Commission on Elections, or COMELEC, is one of the three constitutional commissions of the Philippines. Its principal role is to enforce all laws and regulations relative to the conduct of elections, initiatives, referendums, and recalls....
(COMELEC) thus granting President Marcos another six-year term as President of the Philippines
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
. The electoral exercise was marred by alleged electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
as well as violence. Marcos and Tolentino won by over a million votes according to the COMELEC. The opposition headed by Sen. Benigno Aquino, Jr.
Benigno Aquino, Jr.
Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. was a Filipino Senator and a former Governor of Tarlac. Aquino, together with Gerry Roxas and Jovito Salonga, formed the leadership of the opposition to the Marcos regime in the years leading to the imposition of martial law in the Philippines...
's widow Corazon C. Aquino
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...
and former senator Salvador Laurel
Salvador Laurel
Salvador Roman Hidalgo Laurel , also known as Doy Laurel, was Vice President of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992 under Corazon Aquino. Before that, he briefly served as Aquino's first Prime Minister from February 25 to March 25 of 1986...
refused to accept the allegedly fraudulent result. Due to the reports of fraud, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP
CBCP
CBCP may refer to one of the following:*Certified Building Commissioning Professional, an Association of Energy Engineers certification*Cross-Border Co-operation Process, a European union initiative*Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines...
) issued a statement condemning the elections, the United States Senate passed a resolution stating the same. This chain of events eventually led to the resignation of Marcos' Defence Minister Juan Ponce Enrile
Juan Ponce Enrile
Juan Ponce Enrile is a Filipino politician. As a protege of President Ferdinand Marcos, he served as Justice Secretary and then Defense Secretary under the Marcos regime. He later became one of the leaders of the 1986 People Power Movement that drove Marcos from power...
and military vice-chief Fidel Ramos, who then decided to seclude themselves in the military and police headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame respectively, leading to the People Power Revolution which precipitated Marcos's departure from the country into exile in Hawaii. On March 24, 1986, the Regular Batasang Pambansa
Regular Batasang Pambansa
The Regular Batasang Pambansa or the Second Batasan was the meeting of the parliament of the Philippines from the beginning of its session on July 23, 1984 until it was abolished by President Corazon Aquino on March 25, 1986....
made a people's resolution signed by 150 lawmakers which nullified the election returns that proclaimed that Marcos and Tolentino as the winners. Instead, it mandated that Aquino and Laurel were the real winners of the snap elections.
President
Final Official Parliamentary Canvass (Nullified on March 24, 1986)NAMFREL Tally
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Ferdinand E. Marcos Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate... |
KBL Kilusang Bagong Lipunan The Kilusang Bagong Lipunan , formerly the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan ng Nagkakaisang Nacionalista, Liberal, at iba pa, , is a political party in the Philippines... |
10,635,458 |
| Corazon C. Aquino Corazon Aquino Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines... |
UNIDO - PDP-LABAN | 9,853,456 |
Vice-President
Final Official Parliamentary Canvass (Nullified on March 24, 1986)NAMFREL Tally
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Arturo M. Tolentino Arturo Tolentino Arturo Modesto Tolentino was a prominent political figure in the Philippines who briefly held the position of vice president in 1986. He is more well known as the father of the Philippine “archipelagic doctrine” and expert on the Law of the Sea.-Early career:Arturo M. Tolentino was born in Manila... |
KBL Kilusang Bagong Lipunan The Kilusang Bagong Lipunan , formerly the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan ng Nagkakaisang Nacionalista, Liberal, at iba pa, , is a political party in the Philippines... |
11,095,897 |
| Salvador H. Laurel Salvador Laurel Salvador Roman Hidalgo Laurel , also known as Doy Laurel, was Vice President of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992 under Corazon Aquino. Before that, he briefly served as Aquino's first Prime Minister from February 25 to March 25 of 1986... |
UNIDO -Nacionalista Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party is the oldest political party in the Philippines today and was responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th century since its founding in 1907... |
9,527,699 |
Nullification of COMELEC final tally
The COMELEC final tally showed that Marcos won by twice Aquino's margin in the NAMFREL tally (roughly 1.6 million), and also had Tolentino winning over Laurel. This alleged fraudulent outcome would eventually lead to the People Power Revolution which ousted President Ferdinand Marcos and installed Corazon Aquino as president. It only changed when the Regular Batasang Pambansa declared on March 24, 1986 that Aquino and Laurel won the elections and admitted that Marcos's lawmakers tampered the official COMELEC Canvass at the PICC and the Batasang Pambansa to make sure Marcos and Tolentino won the elections.See also
- Commission on ElectionsCommission on Elections (Philippines)The Commission on Elections, or COMELEC, is one of the three constitutional commissions of the Philippines. Its principal role is to enforce all laws and regulations relative to the conduct of elections, initiatives, referendums, and recalls....
- Politics of the PhilippinesPolitics of the PhilippinesThe Politics of the Philippines takes place in an organized framework of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic whereby the president is both the head of state and the head of government within a pluriform multi-party system...
- Philippine elections
- President of the PhilippinesPresident of the PhilippinesThe President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...