In the Philippines, Duterte's Democracy

Rodrigo Duterte-the Philippines' president-elect-has quickly gained a nickname, following his win on May 10, as the 'Trump of the East'. The media have been busy pointing out similarities between Duterte and Donald Trump, the US presidential candidate from the Republican Party.

They both have big mouths, use tough language and are not reluctant to use verbal blows, or even bullets if necessary, in the interest of power. In short, this new leader is far removed from the polite and elegant presidential model, and he is not from one of the the country's political aristocracies. So the Philippines, where 40 percent of people live below the poverty line-one of the highest in Asia-seems to have been missing a champion able to rapidly smash corruption, strike out at criminals without mercy, trigger economic growth down to those at the bottom and guarantee the Philippines' sovereignty at its borders.

May 17, 2016