Interregnum – FES

THEME: Mobilising for socio, economic and political campaigns

TITLE: Interregnum | Philippine Progressive and Reform Politics in an Age of Authoritarian Nostalgia

PUBLISHED BY: The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Philippines

WHO IS THIS FOR: The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Philippines, in collaboration with the Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance (JRIG) of the De La Salle University (DLSU), published Interregnum, edited by Julio C. Teehankee. The book is the first comprehensive analysis of progressive and reform politics across the Philippines following the 2025 midterm elections.

The volume takes its title from Antonio Gramsci’s concept of the interregnum, a moment when an old order is passing and a new one has yet to take shape. Reading the 2025 midterms through that lens, the contributors examine how reform-oriented candidates and movements fared across the country, and consider what their results might suggest about the road to the 2028 national elections.

The contributors trace how each campaign navigated an evolving political landscape, from dynastic machinery and disinformation to a fractured electorate. Throughout, they return to a common question: what allows reform politics not only to win, but to hold its ground. Rather than offering a single conclusion, the volume brings together a range of perspectives on the challenges and possibilities facing democratic reform in a rapidly changing environment.

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Interregnum | Philippine Progressive and Reform Politics in an Age of Authoritarian Nostalgia