Watch Philippines 2016 Election Coverage Live Online: See Full Live Streaming Coverage And Results Of Monday’s Voting


Viewers can watch live coverage of the 2016 Philippines election to see if Rodrigo Duterte can hold onto his lead in the polls or whether Grace Poe or one of the other challengers can pull off the big upset.

The nation will go to the polls on Monday to pick a new president and senators, with 55 million expected to vote.

Those who want to follow live coverage of the 2016 Philippines election can find it in the video below.

The election is seen as a potential turning point for the Philippines, which has turned around its fortunes under the leadership of President Benigno Aquino, who brought in new foreign investment, improved infrastructure, and grew the country’s middle class. He has reached his term limit and now will be replaced by a new president who will be tasked with leading one of the strongest economies in the region.

Polls last week showed that Duterte is the leader to replace Aquino, with close to one-third of voters backing him. Senator Grace Poe trailed by roughly 10 points, though the two were once neck-and-neck as recently as a few weeks ago. Also running are Manuel Roxas II, a former senator endorsed by Aquino; and current vice president Jejomar Binay, who is embroiled in corruption charges.

Rodrigo Duterte himself has attracted much controversy. As the iron-fisted mayor of Davao City, he cracked down on crime with an often brutal approach that skirted the edge of the law. Critics accused Duterte of encouraging vigilante hit squads, ones that human rights groups claim killed 1,424 people between 1998 and 2015, a tally that ABC reported included 132 children. These so-called hit squads faced almost no prosecution, and Duterte has admitted a connection to them while promising that criminals will be “legitimate target of assassination” while he’s in power.

Some critics are afraid that Duterte could bring an autocratic reign similar to that of Ferdinand Marcos in the 1980s, Al Jazeera noted, including Aquino who warned that Duterte could bring a return to dictatorship.

“I need your help to stop the return of terror in our land. I cannot do it alone,” Aquino told voters on Saturday.

But Duterte’s message has mostly resonated with voters, many of whom are angry with the political establishment.

Whoever should win the presidency, there is still much work to be done to improve the nation’s economy and address poverty. The BBC noted that Aquino was limited in what progress he could bring to the Philippines, and his successor would need to continue moving the nation forward.

“The problem is that President Aquino started with the Philippines far behind its neighbors, and the changes he has brought are incremental, rather than revolutionary,” the report noted. “Had the constitution allowed it, he might have been able to turn his modest successes into a story alluring enough to win another term of office.”

There is already plenty of tension surrounding the 2016 Philippines election, the BBC reported. More than 100,000 police officers will be on duty as fears of violence are raised. This year, 15 people have been killed in the election campaign, including a mayoral candidate slain on Saturday. Police said gunman broke into the home of Armando Ceballos, who is running for mayor in the town of Lantapan, and shot him to death.

Those who watch the Philippines 2016 election results live online will see more than just the presidential race. There are more than 18,000 national and local positions up for vote in Monday’s election.

[Photo by John Moore/Getty Images]

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