Philippines election: Ferdinand Marcos Jr closes in on victory

Known as Bongbong, son of the late dictator holds significant lead over nearest rival in unofficial count

Ferdinand Marcos Jr appears on track to become the next president of the Philippines, as initial vote counts showed a significant lead for the son and namesake of the late dictator who ruled the country for more than 20 years.

A partial and unofficial count based on 61.05% of the election returns showed Marcos Jr in the lead with 20m votes on Monday evening. His nearest rival, the vice-president and former human rights lawyer Leni Robredo, was on 9.5m votes, according to data released by the commission on elections. It is not clear which areas of the country have been counted, and if these are Marcos strongholds.