Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto Declared Winner of Presidential Election
Indonesia’s Election Commission Announcement
In a formal announcement on Wednesday, Indonesia’s election commission declared Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto as the winner of the presidential election held last month.
Prabowo emerged victorious with 59% of the votes, surpassing his rivals Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, who received about 25% and 16% respectively, according to official results.
Expected to succeed outgoing President Joko Widodo in October, Prabowo is set to address the nation later today.
Shortly after revealing the results, Election Commission chief Hasyim Asy’ari briefly halted the live stream to correct a document before resuming the announcement without specifying the nature of the correction.
Prabowo’s Victory and Controversies
Former special forces commander Prabowo secured victory by promising to continue the platforms of the incumbent president, leveraging social media platforms like TikTok to engage Indonesia’s vast young voter demographic.
Despite his win, Prabowo’s journey to power was marred by controversies, including concerns about patronage politics and allegations of favoritism towards his alliance with President Jokowi.
Jokowi’s son Gibran Rakabuming Raka, aged 36, was Prabowo’s running mate and is poised to become the vice president following a last-minute change in eligibility rules by a court led by the president’s brother-in-law.
Legislative Election Results
Alongside the presidential election, the election commission also announced that the PDI-P party secured the most votes in the legislative elections, followed by the Golkar Party and Prabowo’s Gerindra Party.
This significant political development sets the stage for a new era in Indonesian governance, with Prabowo Subianto at the helm of the nation’s leadership.
