Party leaders to negotiate coalition in BARMM Parliament

ELECTIONS. Voters wait outside the precinct during the first parliamentary elections of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in Pahamuddin, Cotabato, on September 14, 2026.

Manman Dejeto/Reuters

Right now, 'it is the Bangsamoro Federalist Party as the single biggest party that will have the first opportunity to form a government,' says Member of Parliament-elect Ishak Mastura

AT A GLANCE

• The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is facing a hung parliament after the elections on September 14, with the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP) holding 31 seats and the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) holding 30 seats.
• Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua emphasized the need for coalition-building among parties to establish a government, with discussions already initiated with other political groups.
• The elected parliament will assume office on October 30, and a majority of at least 41 seats is required to influence the selection of the chief minister.

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COTABATO CITY, Philippines – After the historic polls on Monday, September 14, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is now facing a hung parliament.

BARMM Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua said a coalition with other parties is an “unavoidable situation” to establish a government.

“I’ve already called up the three governors, members of the [Bangsamoro Federalist Party], to come and discuss what we call the coalition or to establish a government,” Macacua told reporters on Tuesday, September 15.

Macacua is president of the leading regional political party Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP), which has a total of 31 seats. The United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), led by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, got 30 seats.

“We need really to coalesce with parties that are likewise advocating similar platforms of government,” Mohagher Iqbal, MILF vice chairman and Bangsamoro Member of Parliament-elect, told media on Wednesday, September 16.

The Macacua-led BFP and Murad-led UBJP would have to establish alliances with the BARMM Grand Coalition (BGC), which managed to get a total of 15 seats, if their goal is to grab a greater hold of the Bangsamoro Parliament.

The BGC is composed of the Bangsamoro Peoples Party, Serbisyong Inklusibo-Alyansang Progresibo, and Al-Ittihad-Ungaya sa Kawagib Nu Bangsamoro. The coalition is led by Abdulrahman Rubbil Sangki Mangudadatu, alongside political dynasties such as the Adiong clan.

The elected parliament will assume office on October 30 and eventually choose Bangsamoro’s chief minister. A majority of at least 41 seats guarantees that the party with the highest number of members of parliament would have the most influence on who gets to take the seat as chief minister.

According to BGC nominee and Member of Parliament-elect Amir Mawallil, leadership in the coalition has yet to meet to discuss possible alliances with either the BFP or UBJP.

It is also possible that all three parties coalesce, depending on where the talks lead, said Ishak Mastura, Member of Parliament-elect for Maguindanao del Norte 5th District.

“But right now, it is the BFP as the single biggest party that will have the first opportunity to form a government,” Mastura told Rappler.

Tensions among supporters of different parties diffused the next day, when results were being transmitted and winners proclaimed. Will tensions affect negotiations to form a government?

“I think the tension will eventually die down in due time,” Mastura said. “But right now, of course, people are still suffering from the pangs of the campaign. And it was a hard campaign. It was hard fought.”

Voter turnout for the polls was over 84%, according to the Commission on Elections. Authorities have said the elections have been generally peaceful and safe despite eruptions of violence in parts of the region. – Rappler.com