Manila: The head of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has welcomed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s signing of a bill into law postponing the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections. 'We express our gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for supporting the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to further strengthen the foundations of our autonomous governance,' BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim said in a statement over the weekend.

According to Philippines News Agency, this marks the second instance where the BARMM's inaugural parliamentary elections have been postponed. Initially, the Bangsamoro Organic Law was amended in 2022 to align the BARMM parliamentary elections with the May 2025 local and midterm elections.

However, a recent Supreme Court ruling that separates Sulu from BARMM, coupled with the region's intention to reintegrate the province into the regional government for historical reasons, has led to another postponement of the election. The new date is set for October 23, 2025.

Without the inclusion of Sulu, the remaining provinces in BARMM comprise Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, and Tawi-Tawi.