Members of parliament elected Abdulraof Macacua as chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) during their first session at the plenary hall in Cotabato City witnessed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Friday.

Macacua secured 51 votes from the 79 parliamentary members, meeting the majority vote requirement in electing the chief minister under the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).

This ends the seven-year transition under the Bangsamoro Transition Authority and marks the start of the region's first regular parliamentary government.

''Now comes the hard part, the operationalization of an effective parliamentary government that will sustain the gains of peace and guide and Bangsamoro's development in the years to come,'' said Marcos.

Marcos said the government will support Bangsamoro autonomy and democratic institutions. ''We will never let you alone,'' he said.

Following his election, Macacua took his oath of office before Wālī Sheikh Muslim Guiamaden and will preside over the subsequent election of the Parliament Speaker.

Amer Zaakaria Rakim was elected as the speaker of the first regular Bangsamoro Parliament, securing 51 votes during the first plenary session.

The road to Bangsamoro self-determination started in 1976 when the Philippines and Moro National Liberation Front signed the Tripoli Agreement, followed by the 1996 Final Peace Agreement.

In 2012, the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which is the basis for the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, paving the way for a new autonomous political entity.

In 2018, the Bangsamoro Organic Law was signed, providing the legal foundation for the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. This replaced the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Presidential News Desk-Bangsamoro Government Facebook page.