Six days from now, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will do something it has never done since it was created: elect its own Parliament. The Commission on Elections says everything is on track for the Sept. 14 vote. Here is what you need to know.
BARMM will elect its first-ever Parliament
After four postponements, the region’s first regular parliamentary election is set for Sept. 14. Registered voters number about 2.4 million. Voters will choose 80 members of Parliament: 40 party representatives, 32 district representatives and eight sectoral representatives reserved for women, youth, traditional leaders, ulama or Islamic scholars, settler communities and other sectors.
Of the 80 seats, 78 are up for grabs on Sept. 14, with two non-Moro indigenous sectoral seats filled through a separate process, according to the 2026 Bangsamoro Parliament election overview. A party needs 41 seats to hold a majority.
| Snapshot | Detail |
|---|---|
| Region | Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) |
| Election day | Sept. 14, 2026, the first regular parliamentary election |
| Seats | 80 total (40 party-list, 32 district, 8 sectoral), 78 contested now |
| Registered voters | About 2.4 million |
| Majority needed | 41 seats |
| Comelec status | Preparations on track, says Chairperson George Garcia |
Why this vote is a milestone
The BARMM was created in 2019 under the Bangsamoro Organic Law as the product of a decades-long peace process that began in 1968. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said the participation of former secessionists, including through campaigning, shows they have chosen the political process over armed struggle. It will give the region its first elected parliament under the peace deal, replacing the appointed Bangsamoro Transition Authority that has governed since the region’s creation.
The long road to Sept. 14
The election was originally scheduled for May 2022, then pushed to May 2025 and later to Oct. 13, 2025. After the Supreme Court ruled that Sulu is no longer part of the autonomous region, Comelec postponed a vote planned for March 2026. Congress then reset it through Republic Act No. 12317 to the second Monday of September, which falls on Sept. 14. The postponements traced to the region’s still-new institutions: the BARMM parliament only passed the redistricting bill that created its 32 districts in January, clearing the legal path Comelec said it needed.
Comelec says preparations are on track
Comelec Chairperson George Garcia has said preparations are on track, and the commission has told Malacañang that all election paraphernalia have been deployed to local hubs for delivery to 105 municipalities and two cities before Sept. 8. Garcia has earlier described the situation as manageable despite misinformation around the polls.
Voting day logistics
Marcos has issued a proclamation declaring Sept. 14 a special non-working day in BARMM under Proclamation No. 1395, so residents get a full day to cast their ballots. Polls open across the region’s mainland and island provinces, and winners are expected to be proclaimed shortly after election day.
Security is being ramped up
Authorities are preparing for a tense environment. Police from the Zamboanga Peninsula have deployed 821 personnel to help secure the vote, and the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army are moving more troops into the region. The Palace has insisted the elections will push through on schedule even as it declined to give a fuller security update.
What happens next
Beyond the politics, this scattered region keeps rolling out services that matter to its communities, from a floating clinic that carries free birth control to BARMM’s island communities to dialect-aware 911 centers across Mindanao. Under RA 12317, once this first Parliament is seated, the region’s regular elections will be held on the second Monday of May 2031 and every three years after, synchronized with national and local polls.
