The Minister of Defense, Prabowo Subianto, declared victory in Indonesia’s presidential election on Wednesday based on unofficial counts, proclaiming it a victory for all Indonesian people, in one of the largest elections in the world with 250 million voters.
There was no statement from election officials and his opponents did not concede.
Subianto held a commanding lead in early unofficial calculations of the three-way race to lead the world’s third-largest democracy.
According to the first unofficial “quick counts” carried out by Indonesian electoral agencies, Subianto received between 57% and 59% of the votewith over 80% of votes counted in the polling stations sampled.
Subianto and his vice candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka greet the public. Photo: Reuters “We are grateful for the results of the rapid count,” he said in a speech to supporters. “We must not be arrogant, we must not be proud, we must not be euphoric, but we must be humble, this victory must be a victory for all the Indonesian people“.
The 72-year-old candidate It is a link with the brutal period of the dictatorship which ended just over 25 years ago, when served as Special Forces commander in one unit linked to torture and disappearancesaccusations that Subianto denies.
He presented himself as heir to the the extremely popular incumbent president Joko Widodo, whose son he chose as his running mate.
A country with impressive growth
To avoid a second round against his rivals (two former provincial governors, Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo), Subianto needs more than 50% of the votes cast and at least 20% in each province from the country.
Widodo’s successor will inherit an economy with impressive growth and ambitious infrastructure projects, including ongoing relocation of the country’s capital from congested Jakarta to the border island of Borneo at a staggering cost of more than $30 billion.
The elections also have a lot at stake for the United States and China, as well as for Indonesia It has a huge domestic marketnatural resources such as nickel and palm oil, and diplomatic influence with Southeast Asian neighbors.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.