The Philippines Under Duterte
How Rodrigo Duterte combined extrajudicial violence, populist rhetoric, and democratic legitimacy in a model that attracted imitators worldwide.
The Strongman Democrat
Rodrigo Duterte won the Philippine presidency in 2016 on a single promise: he would eliminate the drug problem using the same brutal methods he had employed as mayor of Davao City. His 'war on drugs' resulted in an estimated 12,000-30,000 extrajudicial killings (the government acknowledges roughly 6,200; human rights organizations estimate the true number is far higher). Despite this staggering violence, Duterte maintained approval ratings above 80% throughout his term.
Duterte's combination of democratic legitimacy and authoritarian governance defied conventional categories. He was elected freely and remained genuinely popular. He did not abolish elections or ban opposition parties. But he jailed the most prominent opposition senator (Leila de Lima), shut down the country's largest television network (ABS-CBN), and cultivated an online army of trolls that harassed and silenced critics. The International Criminal Court opened an investigation into the drug war killings.