(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte took the early lead in polls opened by Time for its annual list of 100 most influential people in the world, overtaking the likes of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Beyonce.
Duterte garnered a 4 percent vote so far based on a check of initial poll results for TIME 100 on Sunday.
The polls were opened on Friday.
Trudeau, Beyonce and Merkel each had a two percent vote so far.
Also with a 2 percent vote each were United States Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Russian President Vladimir Putin, United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May, and actresses Emma Watson, Viola Davis and talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, among others.
Also included in Time’s shortlist were YouTube chief executive officer Susan Wojcicki, United States President Donald Trump, National Basketball Association players LeBron James, Stephen Curry, among others, and tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams.
Time said voting would close at 11:59 p.m. on April 16.
It said the winner of the reader poll would be announced “immediately after.”
This year’s TIME 100 would be announced on April 20.
Duterte is credited for doing away with the Philippines’ America-dependent foreign policy.
He announced the country would be adopting an independent foreign policy instead after he won the May 9, 2016 presidential elections by a landslide.