At 7 o'clock Eastern time on February 14 (6 o'clock Beijing time on the 14th), voting for Indonesia's 2024 general election began. Indonesia holds general elections every five years to elect the president and vice president, members of both houses of parliament, etc.
Former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and former Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo are vying for the presidency with current Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, Reuters reported. Voters with undecided voting intentions are crucial for Ganga and Anies.
All eyes are on who will succeed Jokowi. Two polls released last week showed that the 72-year-old Prabowo has nearly 52 percent support, and if he does get a majority of the vote in the first round, he will not have to go to the second round of the presidential election.
Gibran (left) and Prabowo (right)
Prabowo's running mate is Jokowi's 36-year-old eldest son, Gibran, who is now mayor of Solo. Prabowo narrowly lost to Jokowi in both 2014 and 2019.
It is estimated that Indonesian polling agencies will start announcing the results of the sample vote count after 4 p.m. Beijing time on February 14.
Indonesia has a presidential system, with the president being the head of state, head of government and supreme commander of the armed forces. Since 2004, the President and Vice President have been directly elected by the people. The President appoints the Cabinet, which is accountable to the President.
Indonesia's constitution stipulates that the president can only serve two terms, and Jokowi's second five-year term expires this year.
It is reported that there are more than 204 million voters in Indonesia, and about half of them are under the age of 40. Opinion polls released this month show Prabowo leading the other two contenders by 25 to 30 percentage points – former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and former Central Java Governor Ganga Pranovo. Prabowo's approval rating among people under the age of 42 is more than 60 percent, according to pollster Indikator, and his campaign has boosted his popularity among women.
Who is Prabowo?
Prabowo and his family are deeply entrenched in Indonesian politics. His grandfather was an important figure in Indonesia's independence movement, and his father was a prominent economist who served in Suharto's cabinet. Educated in the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, Prabowo is fluent in English, French and German. According to Indonesia's anti-corruption agency, his wealth is valued at IDR 2 trillion (about $128 million) as of 2022, making him the richest of the three candidates.
Prabowo ran for president for the first time in 2014 and lost to Jokowi, who came to power as an anti-establishment outsider. Five years later, Prabowo lost again in a polarized race.
But after Jokowi's re-election, Prabowo was appointed Minister of Defense. This gave the former general wider recognition and paved the way for him to succeed Jokowi.
Political commentators have described the two as a reciprocal relationship, with Prabowo drawing on Jokowi's popularity while the outgoing Jokowi tries to establish his own political dynasty and exert influence through his own son after his term ends.
Successfully manage the image of the Internet celebrity "dancing grandfather" and the youthful campaign strategy is effective
It is worth mentioning that Prabowo's campaign is very different from what it used to be, more youth-oriented and very effective. Although he is the eldest of the three contenders, he dominates popular social media platforms such as TikTok. Kennedy Muslim, an analyst at Indonesian polling agency Indikator Politik, said: "That's why his dancing image is very prominent this campaign season. Prabowo, who has successfully established the image of a "dancing grandfather" on social platforms, has partnered with his 36-year-old running partner, Jokowi's son, Gibran, and their campaign posters are adorned with many of Prabowo's smiling cartoon characters.
Prabowo, Suharto's son-in-law, was accused by human rights groups of being involved in the killing of civilians in East Timor in the 80s of the 20th century as a young military officer. In 1998, as a general, he was kicked out of the army after he was accused of ordering the kidnapping of more than two dozen pro-democracy activists in Jakarta, many of whom were feared dead. Prabowo has always denied the allegations.
For many Indonesians, these accusations are not important because they have not lived through the Suharto era, "the past is gone." His past self may not be who he is today. Keane Ahmed, 18, was a first-time voter who attended Prabowo's last rally.
Another first-time voter, Desi, said she believed a TikTok video that claimed the allegations against Prabowo were "a misunderstanding." She supported Prabowo because of his proposal to provide free meals to students across the country. She said, "He's also cute."
Promise to inherit Jokowi's policy and cater to the Indonesian dream of becoming an economic power
Another important reason for Prabowo's appeal is his commitment to continue the still-popular Jokowi policy, including promoting investment in fast-growing industries such as nickel processing.
Jokowi's cabinet minister, Erick Thohir, who has been campaigning for Prabowo, said: "What really helped was the cooperation between Jokowi and Prabowo, and the emergence of Jibran, which gave new hope to young Indonesians." We are all here because of continuity and stability. ”
Prabowo also vowed to increase economic growth from 5 percent to 8 percent, reaching "double digits." While many economists consider this goal unrealistic, it has been welcomed by voters.
Indonesians want to see their country prosper and become an economic superpower. They want a visionary leader like Prabowo," said Achmad Sukarsono, deputy director of the consulting firm Control Risks.
Source丨CCTV News, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao, Financial Times