With just days to go before the Philippine elections, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. continues to retain a big lead over his closest rival — the country’s current Vice President Leni Robredo.

According to the latest survey by independent pollster Pulse AsiaThe survey found that 56% of the respondents preferred Marcos, son and nameake of Ferdinand Marcos, who was overthrown in 1987.

Robredo was a distant second to Marcos, having defeated her in 2016’s vice-presidential bid. She garnered 23% in the opinion polls which surveyed 2,400 people between April 16 to 21.

Joshua Kurlantzick (senior fellow for Southeast Asia, Council on Foreign Relations), an American think-tank, stated that while there are many potential candidates, only two stand a chance: Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Leni Robredo, the son of the Philippines’ longtime dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, whose six-year term ends in late June, has not endorsed any of the presidential candidates — but his political party is backing Marcos, according to Reuters.

Even though Duterte’s approval ratings remain high at 67%Under constitutional law, he is limited to one term.

These are some 67.5 million voters who have registered for the May 9 election. Filipinos are eligible to vote in the election of senators, as well as for municipal, provincial and city officials. electing a president and a vice presidentThese will be their six year terms.

On Monday, voting will close at 7 pm local time. Then counting will start immediately. You might receive unofficial results as quickly as 24 hours through a live vote count. according to Reuters.Duterte won the presidency elections of 2016 only three months after they were held.

The other eight candidates include world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao who received the next highest support of 7% in the survey, and Manila mayor Francisco Domagoso — a former actor better known by his stage name Isko Moreno — who garnered 4% in the opinion polls. 

These are the top 2 candidates for this election appear to have differing views on China.

Marcos is considered the most China-friendly of the candidates among the leading contenders. Marcos’ term could be extended if he is elected. Duterte’s pro-China policiesThis is something that he has done since his 2016 election.

However, Duterte seems to have reacted differently within his own government. anti-China rhetoric may be growing louder. This could lead to Duterte abandoning his China-pivot, according to analysts.

“Marcos Jr. has historically enjoyed a warm relationship with Beijing and could want to woo China again, as well as attempt to launch more Beijing-backed infrastructure projects. Kurlantzick said that Marcos Jr. may not be able to cooperate with China because of Beijing’s unpopularity in Philippines.

“In contrast, Robredo has promised a tough approach toward Beijing, vowing not to even discuss the South China Sea with Beijing until it recognizes that a 2016 tribunal at the Hague ruled in favor of Manila’s claims— something Beijing almost surely will never concede,” he added.

China’s 2016 decision in the Hague regarding their dispute over South China Sea is one of the most contentious issues in relations between the Philippines and China. China claims to a significant portion of South China Sea was rejected by the international tribunal at the Hague. Both countries claimed the right portions. belonged to the Philippines alone. China has rejected the ruling.

However, if Marcos attempts to move Manila towards Beijing, it could pose a serious problem for regional security, Kurlantzick stated, adding that the Philippines was central to U.S. policy in South China Sea and Taiwan.

Kurlantzick indicated that Washington will be closer to both of them.

The elder Marcos has led an era of authoritarianism and corruption, ruling for two decades from 1965 — nearly half of it under martial law. That time was marked by a lot of corruption and authoritarianism. tens of thousands were either imprisoned, tortured or killed.

The professor stated that such political dynasties “dominate” current local government positions and account for as high as two-thirds (or more) of the Philippine Congress.

They hope to win the two most important offices in the country. Although the elder Marcos is long dead, the struggle between democracy and autocracy in the Philippines is far from over—and the upcoming election could determine the country’s path for decades to come,” Coronel said.

— Yen Nee Lee contributed to this report.