LIVE UPDATES: First BARMM parliamentary elections
The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is holding its first parliamentary elections on September 14, 2026, after being postponed at least four times: first in May 2022, then in May 2025, October 2025, and again in March 2026.
The historic polls are seen as a pivotal moment in the decades-long peace process in a region that was mired in conflict and socioeconomic and political challenges. The upcoming elections are also a test for the Bangsamoro transition and the institutions and systems established in the last seven years.
Bookmark and refresh this page for the latest news, photos, videos, and analyses as Rappler closely follows the regional elections.
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LATEST UPDATES
13 hours ago
Watchdog frowns on BARMM move to remove ‘none of the above’ from ballots
Last January 21, a poll watchdog called on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Parliament to retain the “none of the above” or NOTA option in ballots for the region’s first parliamentary elections, saying it would be a “substantive democratic mechanism” to reflect voter dissatisfaction.
On January 19, the regional parliament’s committee on amendments, revision, and codification of laws approved the removal of the NOTA option “to simplify the voting process and prevent confusion among voters,” according to an update from the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.
Read more here.
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22 hours ago
LOOK BACK: BARMM chief signs regional law redrawing parliamentary districts
Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 86, signed by Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao interim chief minister Abdulraof Macacua on January 20, 2026, restored the number of single-member parliamentary districts in BARMM to 32, up from 25, after a 2024 Supreme Court ruling excluded Sulu — and its seven seats — from the Muslim-majority region.
The measure redefined parliamentary districts, adding seven more and distributing them across the region. It took into account population, geographic accessibility, and existing administrative boundaries, creating a legal framework for district representation in the Bangsamoro Parliament.
Read more here.
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Aug 21, 2026 9:00 AM PHT
LOOK BACK: Sulu moved from BARMM to Zamboanga Peninsula
More than half a year after the Supreme Court finalized Sulu’s exit from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed an executive order on July 30, 2025, transferring the province to Zamboanga Peninsula.
Read about Marcos’ EO here.
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Aug 20, 2026 6:00 PM PHT
[Pastilan] Marcos power play behind BARMM’s leadership shakeup
It wasn’t a surprise that Abdulraof Macacua became the interim chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. His name had been in the air for some time, even floated as far back as the Duterte administration, according to the head of a nongovernmental organization involved in peace-building efforts in the region. So, it was a coronation long foretold.
Read more from this April 2025 Thought Leaders piece.
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Aug 19, 2026 6:05 PM PHT
MILF camp a battleground against voter illiteracy in BARMM
Camp Darapanan, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s main base in what was once the undivided Maguindanao territory, became a battleground once again — this time, against voter illiteracy in the predominantly Muslim region.
Read more here.
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Aug 19, 2026 6:00 PM PHT
Dangerous ‘political tremors’ feared after SC excluded Sulu from BARMM
Back in 2024, Muslim authorities had expressed fears of “far-reaching consequences” after the Supreme Court (SC) decided to exclude Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), with one lawmaker describing the impact as “political tremors that endanger the very foundation of a unified Bangsamoro.”
The SC announced on September 9, 2024, that it has ruled to uphold the constitutionality of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, but that it also ruled to exclude Sulu from BARMM because the province did not ratify it during the 2019 plebiscite.
Read more here.
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