Editing Ferdinand Marcos (section)

==Snap election, People Power Revolution, and ouster (1986) ==

===1986 snap election===
{{Main|1986 Philippine presidential election}}
{{POV section|date=February 2023}}

In late 1985, in the face of escalating public discontent and under pressure from foreign allies, Marcos called a [[snap election]] with more than a year left in his term. He selected [[Arturo Tolentino]] as his running mate. The opposition to Marcos united behind two American-educated leaders, Aquino's widow, Corazon, and her running mate, [[Salvador Laurel]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Pollard, Vincent Kelly|title=Globalization, democratization and Asian leadership: power sharing, foreign policy and society in the Philippines and Japan|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7546-1539-2|page=50|url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=L37RZlzA530C|page=50}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Parnell, Philip C.|chapter=Criminalizing Colonialism: Democracy Meets Law in Manila|editor1=Parnell, Philip C. |editor2=Kane, Stephanie C.|title=Crime's power: anthropologists and the ethnography of crime|publisher=Palgrave-Macmillan|year=2003|isbn=978-1-4039-6179-2|page=214|chapter-url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=j2hpz4_fob4C|page=214}}}}</ref>

[[File:Corazon Aquino inauguration.jpg|thumb|[[Corazon Aquino]], widow of the assassinated opposition leader [[Ninoy Aquino|Benigno Aquino Jr.]], takes the Oath of Office on February 25, 1986.]]

Marcos's World War II medals were first questioned by the foreign press during this campaign. During a campaign in Manila's [[Tondo, Manila|Tondo]] district, Marcos retorted:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-23-mn-28079-story.html|title=Marcos Blasts U.S. Reports He Was a Phony War Hero: American Records Fail to Back Him|date=January 23, 1986|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=February 20, 2020|archive-date=October 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010145000/http://articles.latimes.com/1986-01-23/news/mn-28079_1_war-record|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|You who are here in Tondo and fought under me and who were part of my guerrilla organization—you answer them, these crazy individuals, especially the foreign press. Our opponents say Marcos was not a real guerrilla. Look at them. These people who were collaborating with the enemy when we were fighting the enemy. Now they have the nerve to question my war record. I will not pay any attention to their accusation.|Ferdinand Marcos|January 1986}}

Marcos was referring to both presidential candidate Corazon Aquino's father-in-law [[Benigno Aquino Sr.]] and vice presidential candidate Salvador Laurel's father, former president [[José P. Laurel]].

The elections were held on February 7, 1986.<ref name="NSM">{{cite book|last1=Zunes|first1=Stephen|last2=Asher|first2=Sarah Beth|last3=Kurtz|first3=Lester|title=Nonviolent Social Movements: A Geographical Perspective|url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=rlIH-NQbFQgC|page=129}}|date=November 5, 1999|publisher=Wiley|isbn=978-1-57718-076-0|page=129|access-date=May 14, 2016|archive-date=November 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107165602/https://books.google.com/books?id=rlIH-NQbFQgC&pg=PA129|url-status=live}}</ref> The official election canvasser, the [[Commission on Elections]] (COMELEC), declared Marcos the winner. The final tally of the COMELEC had Marcos winning with 10,807,197 votes against Aquino's 9,291,761 votes. On the other hand, the partial 69% tally of the [[National Movement for Free Elections]] (NAMFREL), an accredited poll watcher, had Aquino winning with 7,502,601 votes against Marcos's 6,787,556 votes. Cheating was reported on both sides.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.namfrel.com.ph/v2/photogallery/1986-tallyboard2.php|title=NAMFREL|website=www.namfrel.com.ph|access-date=September 20, 2016|archive-date=August 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809053035/http://www.namfrel.com.ph/v2/photogallery/1986-tallyboard2.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> This electoral exercise was marred by widespread reports of violence and election tampering.

The fraud culminated in the walkout of 35 COMELEC computer technicians to advance their claim that the official election results were manipulated to favor Ferdinand Marcos, according to their testimonies, which were never validated. The walkout was led by Linda Kapunan<ref name="militaryIntervention1986197">{{cite web|website=Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines|url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1990/10/03/the-final-report-of-the-fact-finding-commission-iv-military-intervention-in-the-philippines-1986-1987/|title=The Final Report of the Fact-Finding Commission: IV: Military Intervention in the Philippines: 1986 – 1987|date=October 3, 1990|publisher=Official Gazette of the Government of the Philippines|access-date=July 22, 2017|archive-date=October 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021023713/http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1990/10/03/the-final-report-of-the-fact-finding-commission-iv-military-intervention-in-the-philippines-1986-1987/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the technicians were protected by [[Reform the Armed Forces Movement|Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM)]] officers led by her husband, Lt. Col. Eduardo "Red" Kapunan.

In the last months of Marcos's administration, the [[Soviet Union]] stepped up relations and was the only major country to officially congratulate Marcos on his disputed election victory.<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |title=Collapes of Marcos regime ends Soviet courtship |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/03/02/Collapes-of-Marcos-regime-ends-Soviet-courtship/7612510123600/ |access-date=September 2, 2022 |website=UPI |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311110225/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/03/02/Collapes-of-Marcos-regime-ends-Soviet-courtship/7612510123600 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 20, 1986 |title=MARCOS REPORTS SOVIET GREETINGS |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/20/world/marcos-reports-soviet-greetings.html |access-date=September 2, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015123425/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/20/world/marcos-reports-soviet-greetings.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Marcos had provided favors to the Soviets such as allowing the banned [[Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas-1930|Philippine Communist Party]] to visit the Soviet Union for consultations.<ref name=":14" /><ref>{{Cite news |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=February 23, 1986 |title=IN SOVIET, A SHIFT TO INCREASING SUPPORT FOR MARCOS |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/23/world/in-soviet-a-shift-to-increasing-support-for-marcos.html |access-date=September 2, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015121957/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/23/world/in-soviet-a-shift-to-increasing-support-for-marcos.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":16">{{Cite journal |last=Morris |first=Stephen J |date=1994 |title=The Soviet Union and the Philippine Communist Movement |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45301887 |journal=Communist and Post-Communist Studies |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=77–93 |doi=10.1016/0967-067X(94)90031-0 |jstor=45301887 |issn=0967-067X |access-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-date=October 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015122611/https://www.jstor.org/stable/45301887 |url-status=live}}</ref> A [[United Press International|UPI]] article from March 1986 reported, "Diplomats in Moscow believe the Soviet government totally misjudged Marcos' power to control events. They speculate that Moscow considered his control of legal bodies and his readiness to be 'ruthless' would thwart any popular opposition."<ref name=":14" />

===1986 RAM coup and People Power Revolution===
{{Main|February 1986 Reform the Armed Forces Movement coup|People Power Revolution}}
{{POV section|date=February 2023}}

The election gave a decisive boost to the "People Power movement". Enrile and Ramos later abandoned Marcos, switched sides and sought protection behind the 1986 People Power Revolution, backed by fellow-American educated [[Eugenio Lopez Jr.]], [[Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala]], and the old political and economic elites. RAM, led by Lt. Col. [[Gringo Honasan|Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan]] and backed by Enrile had plotted a [[coup d'état]] to seize Malacañang and kill Marcos and his family.<ref name="gringoPlot">{{cite news|url=http://www.rappler.com/nation/84953-gringo-plot-kill-marcos-almonte-memoir|title=Gringo plotted to kill Marcos – Almonte|work=Rappler|access-date=September 11, 2016|archive-date=January 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128120522/http://www.rappler.com/nation/84953-gringo-plot-kill-marcos-almonte-memoir|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the height of the revolution, Enrile claimed that a purported ambush attempt against him years earlier was in fact faked, in order for Marcos to have a pretext for imposing martial law. Enrile later retracted this statement, and in 2012, he claimed that the ambush was real.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/blogs/insights/11/06/12/enrile-retracts-act-contrition-he-made-when-he-thought-he-was-facing-death-1|title=Enrile retracts 'Act of Contrition' he made when he thought he was facing death in 1986|first=Raïssa |last=Robles|date=November 6, 2012|website=ABS-CBN News|access-date=June 17, 2020|archive-date=June 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617172750/https://news.abs-cbn.com/blogs/insights/11/06/12/enrile-retracts-act-contrition-he-made-when-he-thought-he-was-facing-death-1|url-status=live}}</ref> Marcos continually maintained that he was the duly elected president for a fourth term, but unfairly and illegally deprived of his right to serve it. On February 25, 1986, rival presidential inaugurations were held,<ref>{{Citation |last=Crisostomo |first=Isabelo T. |title=Cory, Profile of a President: The Historic Rise to Power of Corazon |publisher=Branden Books |isbn=978-0-8283-1913-3 |page=257 |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=iW_ddLowBYkC|page=257}} |access-date=December 3, 2007 |date=April 1, 1987 |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107165557/https://books.google.com/books?id=iW_ddLowBYkC&pg=PA257 |url-status=live}}.</ref> but as Aquino supporters overran parts of Manila and seized state broadcaster [[PTV-4]], Marcos was forced to flee.<ref>{{Citation |author1=Paul Sagmayao Mercado |author2=Francisco S. Tatad |title=People Power: The Philippine Revolution of 1986: An Eyewitness History |publisher=The James B. Reuter, S.J., Foundation |year=1986 |location=[[Manila]], [[Philippines]] |oclc=16874890}}</ref>