[20160412]IF10387_菲律宾2016年总统选举.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov April 12, 2016Philippines 2016 Presidential ElectionThe 2016 presidential election in the Philippines, set for May 9, will determine a successor to Benigno Aquino III. Aquino, who is limited by the Philippine Constitution to one six-year term, will step down in June. He has received relatively strong approval ratings (around 50%) in recent national surveys, reflecting popular support for his efforts to promote economic growth and combat corruption, although persistent poverty and corruption remain public concerns. The election may have implications for U.S. interests in the Philippines and in the region, including the strengthening of bilateral security relations through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), Manilas handling of maritime territorial disputes with China, and the threat of Islamist extremism on the southern major island of Mindanao. By some measures, the Philippines is a vibrant, if still developing, democracy, particularly its civil liberties, civil society, and electoral processes. Nevertheless, corruption and abuses of power, often perpetrated by politicians, powerful political families, and local clans, as well as weak