Duterte health worries, Sri Lanka election

If President Duterte is forced to leave office through ill health, Vice President Leni Robredo, who leads the main opposition party in the Philippines, would take over as president. We don’t know much about what Ms Robredo’s economic agenda would be if she took office, but given her fierce opposition to Duterte’s authoritarian tendencies, including his willingness to undermine political institutions, a change in president would probably be welcomed by investors. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka goes to the polls on Saturday and the results are likely to be known by Monday at the latest. We think the economy will continue to struggle whichever of the two main candidates is elected president.