This is a list of elections and referendums held in the Philippines.
General and local elections
editFor much of its history since 1935, the Philippines has been governed as a presidential unitary republic. The term "general election" is not predominantly used in the Philippines, but for the purposes of this article, a "general election" may refer to an election day where the presidency or at least a class of members of Congress are on the ballot. Since 1992, on presidential election days, the presidency, half of the Senate, the House of Representatives and all local officials above the barangay level, but below the regional level, are at stake. On a "midterm election", it's the same, except for the presidency is not at stake.
Local elections above the barangay level, but below the regional level, are synchronized with elections for national positions. From 1947 until 1971, these were scheduled in midterm election years.
Barangay elections are usually held separately from general and local elections.
Regional elections
editRegional elections are held for the autonomous regions. There had been four autonomous regions in the Philippines: Central Mindanao and Western Mindanao, then replaced by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), then the Bangsamoro that replaced it. Regional elections were not synchronized with general elections above, but on 2013 and 2016, they were. The 2016 election was the last ARMM election. After the approval of the Bangsamoro in a plebiscite, there was a transition period, and the first Bangsamoro election is expected to be held on 2022.
| Year | Autonomous region(s) | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Western Mindanao and Central Mindanao | Details |
| 1982 | Western Mindanao and Central Mindanao | Details |
| 1990 | Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao | Details |
| 1993 | Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao | Details |
| 1996 | Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao | Details |
| 2001 | Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao | Details |
| 2005 | Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao | Details |
| 2008 | Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao | Details |
| 2013 | Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao | Details |
| 2016 | Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao | Details |
| 2025 | Bangsamoro | Details |
National referendums
editReferendums are on an ad hoc basis. Before 1973, these were mostly used on amending the constitution. Starting from martial law up to the People Power Revolution, referendums became more frequent. After the People Power Revolution, there had only been one national referendum, on the approval of the current constitution.
| Year | Type | Ballot question | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Plebiscite | Approval of constitution | Yes 96.47% | Details |
| 1937 | Plebiscite | Women's suffrage | Yes 90.94% | Details |
| 1939 | Plebiscite | Setting up export tariffs | Yes 96.56% | Details |
| 1940 | Plebiscite | Creation of a bicameral Congress | Yes 79.14% | Details |
| Re-election of president and vice president | Yes 81.67% | |||
| Creation of a Commission on Elections | Yes 77.95% | |||
| 1947 | Plebiscite | Approval of the Bell Trade Act | Yes 78.89% | Details |
| 1967 | Plebiscite | Enlarging the House of Representatives | No 81.72% | Details |
| Allowing members of Congress to serve in the Constitutional Convention without forfeiting their seats | No 83.44% | |||
| 1973 | Plebiscite | Adopting the constitution | Yes 90.67% | Details |
| Calling a plebiscite to ratify the constitution | No 90.96% | |||
| Referendum | Allow the president to continue beyond 1973 and finish the reforms under martial law | Yes 90.67% | Details | |
| 1975 | Referendum | Approval of the president's actions | Yes 88.69% | Details |
| Approval of the president continuing the same powers | Yes 87.51% | |||
| Selection of local officials | By appointment 60.51% | |||
| 1976 | Referendum | Allowing martial law to continue | Yes 90.95% | Details |
| Plebiscite | Substituting the Regular Batasang Pambansa with the Interim Batasang Pambansa | Yes 87.58% | ||
| 1977 | Referendum | Allowing the president to continue in office after the organization of the Interim Batasang Pambansa | Yes 89.27% | Details |
| 1981 | Plebiscite | Approval of the modified parliamentary system | Yes 79.53% | Details |
|
Yes 78.95% | |||
| Allowing erstwhile natural-born citizens who lost citizenship to own land | Yes 77.55% | |||
| Referendum | Holding barangay elections after the 1981 presidential election | Yes 81.09% | Details | |
| 1984 | Plebiscite | Redistricting the Batasang Pambansa to per city and province | Yes 83.94% | Details |
| Abolishing the executive committee and restoring the vice presidency | Yes 82.99% | |||
| Allowing indigents to possess public lands by grants | Yes 69.25% | |||
| Undertaking an urban land reform program | Yes 68.59% | |||
| 1987 | Plebiscite | Approval of constitution | Yes 77.04% | Details |
Recall elections
editOnly officials elected via the Local Government Code of 1991 can be recalled.
These are the recall elections above the barangay level:
| Year | Location | Position recalled | Incumbent | Result | Winner | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Bataan | Governor | Ding Roman | Lost | Tet Garcia | Details |
| 1997 | Basilisa, Surigao del Norte | Mayor | Details | |||
| Vice mayor | ||||||
| Six councilors | ||||||
| Caloocan | Mayor | Rey Malonzo | Won | Rey Malonzo | Details | |
| 2000 | Lucena | Mayor | Bernard Tagarao | Lost | Ramon Talaga Jr. | Details |
| Pasay | Mayor | Jovito Claudio | Lost | Wenceslao Trinidad | Details | |
| 2002 | Puerto Princesa, Palawan | Mayor | Dennis Socrates | Lost | Edward Hagedorn | Details |
| 2003 | Agoo, La Union | Vice mayor | Ramil Lopez | Lost | Shiela Milo | Details |
| 2015 | Puerto Princesa | Mayor | Lucilo Bayron | Won | Lucilo Bayron | Details |
Special elections
editBoth chambers of Congress conduct special elections (known as "by-elections" elsewhere) once a seat becomes vacant.
The upcoming Bangsamoro Parliament can also hold special elections for vacancies for seats from its parliamentary districts.
A special election can also be called if the offices of president and vice president of the Philippines are vacant in the same time.
People's Initiatives
editPeople's Initiative is a common appellative in the Philippines that refers to either a mode for constitutional amendment provided by the 1987 Philippine Constitution or to the act of pushing an initiative (national or local) allowed by the Initiative and Referendum Act of 1987. While the Supreme Court had declared amending the constitution via initiative as "fatally defective" and those inoperable, the Initiative and Referendum Act of 1987 can still be used to initiate initiatives for statues, ordinances and resolutions at the national and local level.
While there had been no referendums at the national level, this has been successfully implemented at the local level, particularly in barangays.