Hoping third time’s a charm, Prabowo launches another presidential bid without Jokowi in his way

Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto will run for the presidency in 2024, hoping the third time’s a charm as he tops popularity surveys on the back of his strongman image and support from the majority Muslim population.

Prabowo, who leads Indonesia’s third-largest party Gerindra, announced his intention in a briefing after a party meeting on Friday (Aug 12).

The former special-forces commander announced his candidacy more than 18 months ahead of the elections to capitalise on popular support while he remains in President Joko Widodo’s government.

The leader, popularly known as Jokowi and who beat Prabowo in the last two election contests, is not able to run again due to the two-term limits.

“I accept your call to be a candidate for the 2024 presidential election,” said Prabowo, who is among the top three leading candidates in a number of opinion polls.

According to a survey published in June, Prabowo is leading with 25.3 percent. Ganjar Pranowo, the current governor of Central Java, is close behind with 22 percent, while the incumbent governor of Jakarta Anies Baswedan is ranked third with 12.6 percent.

Prabowo’s candidacy is likely to draw strong support from hardline Islamic groups and parties in some of the most conservative regions such as West Java, West Sumatra and Aceh. These regions shored up his votes in the last election contest.

“It’s wrong to think Indonesia could become Islamist should Prabowo come to power,” said Singapore-based Achmad Sukarsono, lead analyst for Indonesia at Control Risks. “He has to coalesce because he needs the votes. He will do a lot of things that would make him look like the symbol of Islamism.”

A Prabowo presidency could mean a more centralized government with greater concentration of power, said Sukarsono.

The politician championed this in the 2019 presidential race, saying a government with greater powers could effectively counter corruption.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing for businesses, some of which have complained Indonesia’s system is “too free”, and that makes it harder to know who the real power brokers are, Sukarsono said.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES