ONLINE PAPERS About Us Core Themes Activities FPEuSblDiciaaltoiognuse on Globalization Online Materials FES International Policy Analysis Unit Election Violence in the Philippines Patrick Patino& Djorina Velasco[i] The 1986“People Power” Revolution that caused the fall of the Marcos dictatorship was an inspiration to pro-democracy forces the world over. Televised images of human chains blocking military tanks became powerful symbols of peaceful resistance against brute force. However,“People Power” and the restoration of formal democratic institutions mask the real state of Philippine democracy. Indeed, fraud and turmoil have been part and parcel of every election after 1986.“Guns, gold and goons” continue to cast a dark shadow on what is supposed to be a“free and fair” exercise. This paper focuses on the practice and prevalence of election-related violence in the Philippines. Electoral violence here takes many forms: killings; abductions; terrorism; physical attacks on rallies, homes, offices and vehicles of candidates and supporters; and any other acts that result in deaths, physical injuries and/or damages to properties. For the purposes of this paper, election-related violence will also refer to intimidation, coercion and non-physical forms of harassment. These are not strictly incidents of violence per se. However, Philippine election laws include these as election offences since they curtail voters’ decision-making and are preliminary acts to violence. The first two sections of the paper provide an overview of the electoral system and the conduct of elections in the Philippines. The second section in particular also provides data on election-related violence and describes how such acts are committed. The third section details legal measures dealing with such offences, followed by a section that looks into the roots of election violence. By depicting the actors and stakes involved in election-related violence and locating the phenomenon within contemporary political culture and processes, we hope to provide a broad context for understanding why and how electoral violence persists. The effect of violence on elections is discussed in the subsequent section. In the conclusion, we put forward some trends and recommendations. It is interesting to note that while election-related violence involving national candidates and their supporters(Marcos vs. Macapagal in 1965, Marcos vs. Osmeña in 1969, or Marcos vs. Aquino in 1986) has diminished, violence related to local elections persists. As this paper will show, various factors contribute to this situation: the highly personalistic nature of Philippine elections, factional rivalry among political families,‘bossism’ as the predominant local political culture, and a weak state. I The Philippine Electoral System The 1987 Constitution restored the pre-martial law presidential form of government and an electoral system that essentially follows the first-past-the-post system. The president and vice president are separately elected by a direct vote of the people, with both officials serving a term of six years. The president is not eligible for re­election, while the vice-president can be re-elected for another six-year term.