10 | From rebellion to representation, BARMM parliament is elected 'though smudged with violence and irregularities
The first parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro is a major institutional outcome of the MILF’s decades-long armed struggle and subsequent transition from rebellion to governance. It was a critical test of whether the MILF can convert its revolution into democratic legitimacy—and whether the new institutions can ultimately deliver meaningful autonomy, inclusive governance, accountability, and lasting peace. Through the GPH-MILF peace process and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the MILF’s demands for Moro self-determination, autonomy, and political recognition were transformed from armed contestation into constitutional self-government through the BARMM. The election is nearly accomplished, though waiting for the final proclamation, albeit the violence and reported irregularities. Indeed, transitional elections represent the high-stakes pivot from protracted conflict to institutional democracy, but when marred by violence, the fragile mechanisms designed to build t...