Abdulraof Macacua elected Bangsamoro chief minister

Abdulraof Macacua, a former Muslim rebel leader, was elected chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on Friday.

Macacua, 69, won 51 votes in the 80-seat regional assembly. His rival Murad Ebrahim, his former leader in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, received 27 votes. One member abstained and another was absent because of illness.

The vote came as the region's first elected parliament convened for the first time, about six weeks after regional elections in which Macacua's party fell short of a 41-seat majority.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos attended the opening ceremony. He said the regional government had to build stability and ensure that the benefits of peace were felt by Bangsamoro families.

Macacua had been chosen by Marcos to serve as interim chief executive before the election, over objections from the MILF's senior leadership. Macacua and Ebrahim later split politically.

The self-ruled region was formed after decades of armed conflict in the southern Philippines. It remains the country's poorest region and has the lowest literacy rates in official surveys.