The largest economy in Southeast Asia is at the time of a decisive choice: nearly 205 million Indonesians are electing their next president on Wednesday, February 14. The current Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto, with a controversial military past, is the favorite.

Although accused of human rights abuses under the Suharto dictatorship in the late 1990s, this 72-year-old former general could win in the first round.

With nearly 52% voting intentions, according to the latest polls, he is well ahead of Anies Baswedan, the former governor of Jakarta, and Ganjar Pranowo, former governor of Central Java, neck and neck for second place. .

“My hope is to win,” declared Prabowo Subianto, before voting in Bogor, on the big island of Java, then appealing to voters: “Do your job as a citizen, vote according to your conscience!”

If part of the population is sensitive to his nationalist discourse, the growing probability of Prabowo Prabowo's accession to the presidency does not fail to raise concerns about a possible setback in democratic gains.

“I want to have a leader who will perpetuate democracy,” says consultant Debbie Sianturi before voting in Jakarta.

Also read: Campaign on TikTok, endemic corruption… five things to know about the elections in Indonesia

The 800,000 polling stations, which remained open for only six hours, closed at 1 p.m. (06 a.m. GMT), even if in Jakarta in particular, some stations were unable to open in time due to very heavy nighttime rains which caused floods. 

Idham Kholik, a member of the electoral commission, told AFP that all voters should be allowed to vote if long queues remained when polling stations closed.

In addition to its president, Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 17,000 islands, must elect 580 deputies and 20,000 regional and local representatives in a single day, one of the largest elections in the world in a single day.

A softened image

Candidate for the third time, Prabowo Prabowo has developed a nationalist and populist rhetoric and is committed to continuing the policies of the outgoing president, nicknamed Jokowi, who is suspected of having used state resources to try to influence the election in favor of his minister. 

As head of special forces, Prabowo Prabowo was accused by NGOs of ordering the kidnapping of pro-democracy activists in the 1990s, near the end of Suharto's regime. He denied these accusations and was never prosecuted.

For these allegations, the ex-soldier was deprived of a visa for a long time by the United States and Australia.

But thanks to a large presence on social networks, the man has softened his image among young Indonesians who often ignore the accusations against him and appreciate his commitment to continuing the policies of the very popular Jokowi.

“We have always been worried about his real attachment to democracy,” says Yoes Kenawas, a researcher at the Catholic University Atma Jaya in Jakarta. “If he is elected, these questions will remain unanswered.”

Prabowo Prabowo took off in the polls with the nomination alongside him for vice president of Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, Jokowi's eldest son.

Theoretically too young, Gibran Rakabuming Raka was only able to run following a controversial decision by the Constitutional Court, adopted thanks to the decisive vote of the president of the court, Anwar Usman, brother-in-law of Joko Widodo.

After 10 years in power, the latter will leave to his successor a country which is experiencing constant growth, which amounted to 5.05% in 2023.

Long late, Anies Baswedan is now a likely finalist in the event of a second round, thanks to his oppositional posture. 

Once considered a favorite, the third candidate, Ganjar Pranowo, is now behind but according to analysts, he could still play the role of kingmaker.

Estimates coming out of the polls should give a reliable indication of the result the same evening. Official counts are not expected until March.

With AFP

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