Philippine ruling party leaders endorse Duterte for VP in 2022
Leaders of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's political party have endorsed him to be a vice-presidential candidate in next year's election, paving the way for him to stay in power for six more years after he steps down in 2022.
The move needs to be approved by the party general assembly, which meets next month.
In the Philippines, the president is limited to one six-year term. Duterte's term ends in June next year, but he has said he is seriously thinking about running for vice-president, which political observers and critics say could be a backdoor to the presidency.
Next year's polls will be a referendum on Duterte's policies, including his bloody war on drugs, in which thousands of people have been killed, and the handling of the pandemic, many political analysts say.
The backing for Duterte was announced by Melvin Matibag, secretary-general of the ruling PDP-Laban party, who said the endorsement by the key officers will be presented to a national assembly of the party next month for approval.
For its presidential candidate, the party leadership endorsed Duterte's top aide and incumbent Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, Matibag said, describing Go and Duterte as a formidable team.
(c) Reuters
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