2024-02-14 01:20:29
Indonesia has been electing a new president and a new parliament since early Wednesday morning (local time). Around 205 million people are entitled to vote in the fourth most populous country in the world. Around 820,000 polling stations are open. Ex-General Prabowo Subianto is considered the overwhelming favorite to succeed the popular President Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi. According to surveys, he might get over 50 percent of the vote and would therefore not have to go into a runoff.
Jokowi is not allowed to run once more following two terms in office. However, Prabowo has nominated Jokowi’s eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka (36), who is also very popular with the population, as vice president. However, critics accuse the current president of wanting to build a political family dynasty. The governor of Central Java province, Ganjar Pranowo (55), and the former governor of Jakarta and ex-education minister Anies Baswedan (54) are running once morest Prabowo (72). All three represent a continuation of the successful economic development-oriented policies of the Jokowi era.
On the holiday island of Bali, queues formed in front of the polling stations early in the morning, many came in their traditional clothing. In the capital Jakarta on Java, the influx was initially slow due to heavy rain: parts of the mega-metropolis were flooded on Wednesday.
When asked, most voters say that only Prabowo has the necessary experience to continue the economic triumph of the Jokowi era. Observers see the fact that he nominated the incumbent’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as vice president as a stroke of genius. Like his father, Gibran is extremely popular and embodies exactly what the many millennials and Generation Z voters want: a youthful counterpoint to the long-time politician Prabowo. But most people would prefer Jokowi to continue – but he was not allowed to run once more following two terms in office.
The polling stations close at 1:00 p.m. local time (6:00 a.m. CET) – this is tradition in Indonesia. Preliminary results are expected in the evening. The official result will not be announced until the end of March.
With 274 million inhabitants, the G20 country is the third largest democracy and the largest Muslim country in the world. The archipelago is also the largest economy in Southeast Asia thanks to huge nickel ore deposits.
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