After months of watching a tense race, Indonesians woke up on February 15 to a clear winner after just one round of voting in the general election held the day before.
Southeast Asia’s largest economy is about to get a new president. Prabowo Subianto, the current defense minister, told supporters late on February 14 that it was “a victory for all Indonesians.”
Quick counts by independent pollsters showed Mr Prabowo, 72, had won nearly 60% of the vote, beating predictions of a slim majority ahead of the election.
The Indonesian National Election Commission (KPU) is expected to announce official results on March 20. The quick count means the results are not yet official, but their accuracy has been proven in previous polls.
Veteran politician Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces commander, has a comfortable lead over his rivals, former Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, and former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.
“A clear victory for Prabowo in the first round would remove uncertainty about who would lead the next government,” said economist Brian Tan of Barclays.
“He appears to be the choice to replace outgoing President Joko Widodo, and has promised to continue his predecessor’s policies. This will give some reassurance to investors,” Mr. Tan said.
Mr. Prabowo Subianto (left) and Mr. Gibran Rakabuming Raka are running for the positions of President and Vice President of Indonesia for the new term. Photo: Jakarta Post
President Joko Widodo, or “Jokowi” to Indonesians, has not publicly endorsed any candidate, but Prabowo’s running mate is Gibran Rakabuming Raka – Jokowi’s eldest son.
If Prabowo wins the presidency, Gibran, 36, will be Indonesia’s youngest vice president. The pair have pledged to continue Jokowi’s efforts to position the resource-rich G20 economy as an electric vehicle hub, expand massive infrastructure and boost social support, while creating millions of jobs.
The runner-up was Mr. Anies, former Governor of Jakarta, with 25% of the vote. Mr. Anies said his team would wait for the official results and respect the people's decision.
Nearly 205 million people are eligible to vote in the fifth presidential election since the end of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998.
In addition to electing the President and Vice President, Indonesians also elected lawmakers for the bicameral National Assembly, known as the People's Consultative Assembly, as well as members of provincial legislatures on February 14. The world's largest single-day election saw nearly 259,000 candidates compete for 20,600 seats across the island nation.
In the legislative election, parties supporting Mr Prabowo won about 42% of the vote, while the coalition behind Mr Anies won 27%. This, if confirmed, means that a government led by Mr Prabowo could enjoy strong support in Indonesia's parliament.
The new President of Indonesia will take office next October .
Minh Duc (According to Reuters, AFP/Malay Mail)
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