Countries congratulate Marcos Jr. on presidential victory

MANILA, Philippines – Congratulatory messages from capitals across the world have started to come in for presumptive Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whom Filipinos elected as the country’s 17th president.

Partial unofficial results from the Philippine poll body’s transparency server showed the late dictator’s son capturing nearly 59% of the vote – an insurmountable lead that was more than double that of his closest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo.

Days after results of the 2022 Philippine election became clear, the United States, China, and Japan were among the first countries whose leaders recognized Marcos Jr. as “president-elect.”

Below are messages to Marcos Jr. from foreign governments: (We will update this story as more statements come in.)

United States

A White House readout of President Joe Biden’s call with Marcos Jr shared the following:

“President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines to congratulate him on his election. President Biden underscored that he looks forward to working with the President-elect to continue strengthening the U.S.-Philippine Alliance, while expanding bilateral cooperation on a wide range of issues, including the fight against COVID-19, addressing the climate crisis, promoting broad-based economic growth, and respect for human rights.”

China

Japan

News update. Japan now recognizes Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as president-elect of the Philippines, with Prime Minsiters Kishida sending a congratulatory message to Marcos Jr. on his victory in the election.

Japan is a strategic partner of the Philippines. @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/MFbcffBzlc
— Sofia Tomacruz (@sofiatomacruz) May 13, 2022

Republic of Korea

United Kingdom

Congratulations @bongbongmarcos on your election victory. UK and Philippines are great friends. Look forward to working with your government to:

🛡 strengthen defence & security ties
⚖️ boost trade & investment
🌏 promote a free and open Indo-Pacific

🇬🇧 🤝 🇵🇭
— Liz Truss (@trussliz) May 13, 2022