No single party secures majority in Bangsamoro's first elected parliament; coalition key to forming government

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangsamoro people have decided that no single party will get absolute control over their first-ever elected parliament, following the conclusion of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) historic polls. This outcome makes coalition building essential for the formation of the region's government. Before the September 14 elections, two parties were widely seen as leading contenders: the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) and its rival, the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP), led by the region’s interim chief minister and ex-UBJP secretary general Abdulraof Macacua. Election results showed a tight race between both parties. The BFP secured 31 winning bets, holding a marginal lead over rival UBJP’s 30 seats. Neither party will be able to singlehandedly take control of the Bangsamoro Parliament or ensure the election of their chosen candidate for chief minister, the head of the BARMM regional government’s executive branch. To secure a 41-seat majority, alliances with other elected parties—who hold a total of 19 seats—will be key. These include the BARMM Grand Coalition (BGC) with 8 seats, Serbisyong Inklusibo-Alyansang Progresibo Party (SIAP) with 6 seats, Progresibong Bangsamoro Party (Pro Bangsamoro) with 1 seat, Bangsamoro Peoples Democratic Party (Raayat) with 1 seat, Al-Ittihad-Ungaya sa Kawagib Nu Bangsamoro (Itihad) with 1 seat, and the 2 non-Moro indigenous people representatives (NMIPs) who have no disclosed political party. On proclamation night on Tuesday, September 15, BFP’s Bangsamoro members of Parliament-elect Macacua and Ishak Mastura discussed the necessity of forming a coalition to form the BARMM’s government of the day. While Mastura added that tensions between regional political parties “will eventually die down in due time,” the leadership rift between Macacua and the rest of the MILF led by chairman and winning UBJP first nominee Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim has been a defining point of friction during the 2026 polls. A news release by the MILF’s information committee attributed this to “a leadership rift years in the making.” It apparently began when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. unceremoniously replaced Ebrahim as interim chief minister with then-MILF armed group chief Macacua in March 2025. Tensions grew as Macacua began making decisions as chief minister without consulting the MILF. Several of the MILF’s formerly high-ranking members like Akmad “Toks” Brahim, Abunawas “Von Al-Haq” Maslamama, and Tomanda Antok defected from the UBJP to the BFP. Macacua initially left the UBJP to become an independent candidate, then became BFP president and chairman just a month before the September 14 elections. This led to Macacua, Brahim, Maslamama, and Antok being stripped of their positions in the MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), a decision made by the central committee that Ebrahim leads. Both Macacua and Ebrahim will be in the elected parliament. The dynamics between these winning politicians and their will shape how the first-ever elected Bangsamoro government will lead the region. The newly elected parliament members will serve a special transition term from October 30, 2026, to June 30, 2031, synchronizing BARMM’s polls with the national and local elections, according to the Comelec. After that, the region’s parliamentary elections will be held every three years. The conclusion of the 2026 parliamentary polls marks the end of the transition period from the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to the BARMM.