Philippines’ very own President Rodrigo Duterte is currently the front-runner of an online poll for Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
The poll, which opened on Friday, saw Duterte at the top spot with 4 percent of the votes as of Sunday.
Despite the fact that it is still very early in the race to rule out a winner, it is an honor for the Filipino people to have the head of state as one of the strongest contenders in this year’s list.
The 71-year-old has made international headlines with a campaign against drugs that has seen thousands of suspected criminals killed, as well as his bold statement regarding the country’s “separation” from the United States and plans to realign the Philippines with China and Russia.
Rounding up the shortlist’s top 10 were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, music superstar Beyonce, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, US billionaire Bill Gates, US Senator Bernie Sanders, gymnast Simone Biles and women’s march co-chairs Linda Sarsour, Tamika Mallory, Carmen Perez, and Bob Inland.
Additionally, other world leaders also made it to the shortlist including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The online voting will close on April 16, and subsequently, this year’s official Time 100 most influential people list will be announced April 20.
