Abdulraof Macacua secured the leadership of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on Friday during the opening session of the regional parliament in Cotabato City.
Macacua won 51 votes against 27 for his rival Murad Ebrahim during the first plenary gathering of the 80-member assembly. Lawmakers also elected lawyer Amer Zaakaria Mikee A. Rakim as the speaker of the parliament with 51 votes.
Both newly elected officials were sworn into office immediately following the vote. The session took place after 79 of the 80 regional lawmakers took their oaths earlier on Friday.
The parliamentary gathering follows the region’s first ever elections held on Sept. 14. This transition marks a major step in a decades-long peace process that led to the creation of the autonomous region in 2019.
The territory had previously been governed by an interim administration initially led by Ebrahim, who serves as chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Macacua later succeeded Ebrahim in March 2025 as interim chief minister after receiving an appointment from Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Macacua previously served as chief of staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces. The historic shift to parliamentary governance stems from the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which aimed to transition the Muslim-majority region away from armed conflict.
The newly formed parliament consists of 40 representatives from regional parties, 32 district representatives, and eight sectoral representatives.
In the recent elections, the Bangsamoro Federalist Party led by Macacua secured 16 seats in the legislature. Meanwhile, the United Bangsamoro Justice Party headed by Ebrahim captured 15 seats.
