In Philippines: Duterte leads with 40 pct of votes in presidential election

His nearest rival Grace Poe had 22.2 percent of the vote.

Philippines' Duterte leads with 40 pct of votes in presidential election
(Daily Mail)

The Philippines' tough-talking city mayor Rodrigo Duterte had a commanding lead with 40 percent of votes in Monday's presidential election, according to an unofficial tally of ballots counted from half the electorate.

Figures from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, which is accredited by the election commission, showed Duterte with more than 9 million votes at the halfway stage of counting, or 39 percent of the total.

His nearest rival Grace Poe had 22.2 percent of the vote.

There are 54 million registered Filipino voters.