China News Service, March 20 (Wei Chenxi, Meng Xiangjun, Li Zhiquan) On the evening of the 20th local time, the Indonesian Election Commission officially announced that the current Defense Minister Prabowo won the 2024 presidential election.
The final vote count showed that No. 2 presidential candidate Prabowo and his running mate Jokowi's eldest son Gibran received more than 96.2 million votes, with a vote rate of 58.6%.
Prabowo is expected to take office in October 2024. He will succeed Indonesian President Joko Joko, who has been in power for ten years, and take charge of Southeast Asia's largest country.
According to analysts, he is expected to lead the country towards realizing the vision of "Golden Indonesia in 2045".
Data map: Indonesia’s current defense minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto.
Political "strongman" elected
The 72-year-old Prabowo was born in Jakarta, Indonesia. His grandfather was the founder of Bank Negara Indonesia. His father was a cabinet member during the Sukarno and Suharto periods. He himself was the son-in-law of the late former President Suharto. .
Prabowo has served in the military for many years and has had a complicated experience. Along the way, his brilliant achievements have been accompanied by controversy.
This is his third attempt at the presidency. He had been defeated by Jokowi twice before. In 2019, he was invited to join Jokowi's cabinet as defense minister.
Analysts say Prabowo's successful election as president has something to do with the strongman image he created.
The British "Economist" said that he came from a powerful family and "has long presented himself as a strongman."
The image he created as a political "strongman" resonated with Indonesian voters.
One of the pre-election polls showed that about 54% of the respondents chose to support Prabowo in the general election out of approval of the "strongman" image.
On March 18, local time, a billboard in Jakarta, Indonesia showed cartoon images of Prabowo (left) and his running mate, President Joko Widodo’s son Jibrran (right).
Aiming to attract young voters
Data from the Indonesian Election Commission show that more than 204 million voters have registered for this election, and about 53% of them are under the age of 40.
Behind this victory, on the one hand, Prabowo has worked hard to repair his public image in recent years, showing a calmer, more approachable and less radical side, attracting more young voters to vote.
He is familiar with social media play, posting dancing videos, sharing daily scenes with weak political attributes, and also using smiling, chubby cartoon images in campaign posters... He makes full use of social platforms and pop culture elements to "reconstruct" with young people "Link".
On the other hand, analysts believe that Prabowo's victory also reflects the eager desire of a large number of young voters to continue Jokowi's policies and vigorously develop the Indonesian economy to promote employment and improve people's livelihood and well-being.
Analysts said that what gave Prabowo more "emboldening" was the "endorsement" of Indonesia's current President Joko Widodo.
"The Diplomat" magazine pointed out that Prabowo ran with Jokowi's eldest son Jibulan as a candidate, which was seen as Jokowi's support for Prabowo.
Prabowo also positioned himself as Jokowi's "successor" and declared that he would continue to promote Jokowi's policies during his term in order to win more Jokowi supporters.
On February 2, local time, Indonesian Defense Minister and presidential candidate Prabowo paid tribute to his supporters after delivering a speech at the Jakarta Convention Center.
Towards the vision of “Golden Indonesia”
After winning the election, Prabowo will soon take charge of Southeast Asia's largest economy. What tests will he face after taking office, and where will he take the country?
According to Indonesia's Antara News Agency, Indonesian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Budi Ali Setiadi recently stated that Prabowo and Gibran will lead Indonesia towards realizing the vision of "Golden Indonesia 2045".
Prabowo recently delivered a speech at an investment forum in Jakarta, promising to build on the economic foundation laid by the Joko government.
“Indonesia’s economic growth can accelerate to 8% within five years.”
Prabowo also said his government would focus on inclusive growth and investor-friendly policies and reducing overall economic inefficiencies.
The Financial Times stated that this is the first time Prabowo has publicly outlined his government's priorities after winning a decisive victory in the general election.
"We want growth, but we also want to end poverty and hunger and create jobs. The way forward is very clear. We will improve efficiency and promote rational decision-making," Prabowo said.
The Japan Times also pointed out that in Indonesia, many young people are worried about the future.
For these voters, the important tasks of Jokowi's presidency, such as creating jobs, eradicating poverty and ending corruption, are their top concerns, and this will also be one of the many tests Prabowo faces after being elected. one.
Regarding Indonesia’s role on the global stage, Prabowo said in a previous interview that Indonesia has long pursued a non-alignment policy.
Indonesia respects all countries and hopes to have good relations with everyone.
"We don't want to join one group against another. Our position is very unique. We are friends with everyone." (End)