Mindanao made history this week, but the results are still a puzzle.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) held its first-ever parliamentary election on Monday, September 14. About 83% of eligible voters showed up. The catch: no party appears to have won enough seats to govern on its own.

Okay, what's a hung parliament?

BARMM's parliament has 80 seats. To form a government, a party or coalition needs at least 41. When nobody gets there alone, that's called a hung parliament, and parties have to team up.

Who's leading (unofficial counts)

  • Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP): about 32 seats

  • United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP): about 29 seats

  • BARMM Grand Coalition: third place, and possibly the kingmaker

Fun fact: BFP and UBJP both came from a split in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the group that once fought for independence and later for self-rule.

What happens next

A government must be formed before parliament opens on October 30. Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua of the BFP wasn't revealing any coalition plans yet: "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

The vote also saw scattered violence, including a vehicle destroyed by supporters outside a polling center in Cotabato City.