2024-02-16 02:13:47
– Prabowo Subianto in the lead following a partial count
After counting half of the ballots, the 72-year-old former general, with a controversial military past, is credited with 56.89%.
Published today at 03:13 Updated 40 minutes ago
The front page of an Indonesian newspaper, February 15, 2024.
AFP
Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto is well ahead of the presidential election in Indonesia, the electoral commission announced on Friday, following more than half of the ballots were counted.
The 72-year-old former general, with a controversial military past, is credited with 56.89% of the votes ahead of the former governors of Jakarta, Anies Baswedan (25.27%) and Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo (17.84%). . He might thus obtain the majority and be elected in the first round to succeed outgoing President Joko Widodo next October, elected for the first time in 2014 and who following two terms might not run once more.
The election to which nearly 205 million Indonesians were called, across a vast archipelago stretching over 5,000 km, took place on Wednesday but the final results are not expected until next March.
Victory assured
As of Wednesday evening, Prabowo Subianto, who is running for the 3rd time, had claimed victory on the basis of the first projections which already placed him beyond the 55% mark. To win in the first round, you must obtain more than 50% of the total votes and at least a fifth of the votes in more than half of the country’s provinces.
Most analysts believe that the victory of the Minister of Defense is now assured, following ten years of power of Joko Widodo, nicknamed Jokowi. “This victory should be a victory for all Indonesians,” Prabowo Subianto said on Wednesday, promising to form a government “made up of the best sons and daughters of Indonesia.”
Anies Baswedan, in 2nd position according to the partial results, indicated that he was waiting for “the electoral commission’s count to be completed” while specifying on Thursday that it was necessary to “respect the decision of the people”.
The camp of Ganjar Pranowo, 3rd candidate in the running, denounced “structured, systematic and massive” fraud during the elections, according to a spokesperson, without providing evidence.
Congratulations
“Thank God, we must be grateful and continue to monitor the official results,” from the Election Commission (KPU), Prabowo Subianto wrote on Instagram Thursday evening. He also said Thursday evening that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had called to congratulate him, as well as the leaders of Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, in a message showing him with a phone held to his ear.
Prabowo Subianto, who largely benefited from the presence at his side for the position of vice-president of Gibran Rakabuming Raka, eldest son of the outgoing president, developed during this campaign a nationalist and populist rhetoric and committed to pursuing the policy of President Jokowi.
Other candidates and student movements accused the latter of having used state resources to try to influence the election in favor of his minister.
Prabowo Subianto was accused by NGOs of ordering the kidnapping of pro-democracy activists in the 1990s as head of special forces, towards the end of Suharto’s regime. He denied these accusations and was never prosecuted.
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