Duterte takes early lead in TIME’s ‘most influential’ poll

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, arrives a meeting with the Filipino community, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

President Rodrigo Duterte is leading TIME Magazine’s online poll for its annual list of 100 most influential people in the world.

As of Sunday afternoon, Duterte has garnered four percent of total votes, ahead of other global figures like Pope Francis (3 percent), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (2 percent), Beyonce (2 percent), and German chancellor Angela Merkel (2 percent).

The poll, which opened Friday, will close on April 16. The official TIME 100 list will be announced on April 20.

As of this writing, other personalities who secured 2 percent of votes include Bill Gates, Bernie Sanders, Serena Williams, Mark Zuckerberg, J.K. Rowling, Emma Watson, Oprah Winfrey, Viola Davis, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Lady Gaga, and Vladmir Putin.

Duterte has gained global attention following his electoral victory in May and his administration’s controversial “war” on drugs, which has been called out by international rights groups due to supposed human rights violations and extrajudicial killings.

Recently, the firebrand Davao mayor turned President has been featured in a New York Times article titled “Becoming Duterte: The Making of a Philippine Strongman,” which Malacañang denounced as sounding “like a well-paid hack job.” JE/rga

READ: Palace: New York Times feature on Duterte sounds like ‘a hack job’