Indonesia: Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto wins contested presidential election
Current Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who claimed victory on election day on February 14, won the presidential election in Indonesia in the first round while his main rival, Anies Baswedan, will contest the result.
Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on March 20, 2024 after the official proclamation of the results of the February presidential election.
REUTERS - Willy Kurniawan
By: RFI with AFP
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The 72-year-old former general, who had been leading the polls for months and estimates after the vote, won with a comfortable majority of 58.6% of the votes against the two other candidates Anies Baswedan (24, 9%), former governor of Jakarta and Ganjar Pranowo (16%), former governor of Central Java.
Also readIndonesia: who will be the next president of the third largest democracy in the world?
“
We thank Almighty God for the official announcement
[by the Electoral Commission, Editor's note]
of the results of the elections in this vast country with a Muslim majority
,” declared the winner in his first reaction after the officialization of his success.
“
We would like to express our gratitude and highest esteem to all Indonesian citizens who exercised their right to vote
,” he added.
In total, 96 million voters voted in favor of the Minister of Defense, compared to 41 million for his closest rival Anies Baswedan, announced Hasyim Asy'asi, president of the Electoral Commission.
More than 164 million Indonesians went to the polls out of 204 million registered, a participation rate of around 80%, compared to nearly 82% in 2019.
Prabowo Subianto, with a controversial military past, will succeed Joko Widodo, nicknamed Jokowi, in October at the head of Southeast Asia's largest economy.
His vice-president will be Gibran Rakabuming Raka, son of the outgoing president.
Also read: Joko Widodo, the president who wanted to see Indonesia big
From the evening of the vote on February 14, Prabowo Subianto, who was running for the third time for president after his failures in 2014 and 2019,
claimed
a “
victory for all Indonesians
” based on initial projections.
The ex-soldier turned businessman benefited greatly from the presence at his side of Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi's eldest son.
According to experts, Prabowo united voters with nationalist and populist rhetoric, pledging to continue Jokowi's policies.
His two rivals have three days to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court to contest the result, arguing possible fraud or irregularities.
“
A leader born from a process marred by cheats and violations will result in a regime that produces policies full of injustice, and we do not want that to happen
,” Anies Baswedan said in a statement, confirming that he was going to file an appeal.
But according to the future president's team of lawyers, the result is unlikely to be called into question due to the very significant difference in votes between Prabowo Subianto and the two other candidates, local media reported.
Controversial past
At the time head of special forces, Prabowo Subianto was accused by NGOs and his former officials of having ordered the kidnapping of pro-democracy activists in the 1990s, towards the end of Suharto's presidency.
He denied these accusations and was never prosecuted.
The ex-soldier has long been denied a visa by the United States and Australia for these allegations.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was quick to congratulate Prabowo Subianto, saying Washington was “
looking forward to working closely
” with the ex-general.
Even before his election was officially announced, world leaders had already begun congratulating Prabowo Subianto, including the Prime Ministers of Britain, the Netherlands, Malaysia and Australia.
France also congratulated Prabowo Subianto with whom it “
stands ready to work
”, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. and French President Emmanuel Macron.
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.
Rights groups have expressed concern that Prabowo Subianto could roll back hard-won democratic freedoms, but voters largely ignored the allegations about his past or were simply unaware.
“
I see the future of democracy getting darker when Prabowo
” takes power, predicts Hurriyah, director of the Center for Political Studies at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta.
Questions were also raised about the conditions under which Gibran was able to run for vice president and about Jokowi's influence, even interference, in the vote.
Legally too young, Gibran 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.
But Prabowo Subianto and his entourage, like Jokowi, rejected all accusations of impropriety.
Also read: What Indonesia after Jokowi?
(Part II)
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