JAKARTA (Bloomberg): Indonesia’s Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto (pic), who has declared plans to run for president a third time, is gaining momentum seven months away from the vote, according to the latest survey.
The former special-forces commander who lost the past two elections to incumbent Joko Widodo, topped a Lingkaran Survei Indonesia survey released July 10 with an approval rating of 34.3%. That’s higher than the 33.9% in the agency’s May polling when he first surpassed Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo.
The latest survey signals that Prabowo, 71, is gaining ground ahead of the Feb 14 presidential race after trailing Ganjar’s popularity for more than a year.
Ganjar, the candidate of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, remains in second place with 32.7% followed by ex-Jakarta Governor, Anies Baswedan.
"Prabowo topping the survey is a result of a rebranding exercise which he has carried out in the past year; one of which is to target millennials,” said D. Nicky Fahrizal, a researcher at the Jakarta-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
"The strategy of sticking close to Jokowi to capitalize on his popularity and success is also reaping rewards,” Fahrizal said. Jokowi’s second and final presidential term will end in October 2024.
As election fever heats up in Indonesia, investors are closely watching whether the next administration will continue or upend Jokowi’s key policies including the creation of a US$34 billion new capital and a push toward onshore processing of resources to turn Indonesia into a high-income nation by 2045.
Jokowi is positioning himself as a power broker in Indonesia for decades to come, according to a Bloomberg report in June. With his popularity at an all time high, the incumbent’s endorsement will be crucial.
Involved in picking Ganjar as the ruling party candidate, the president’s inner circle has discussed a possibility in which he backs his defense minister if Ganjar slips before the February vote.
In the past month, Jokowi and Prabowo have met at least thrice. At a June 18 lunch meeting, Jokowi told the local media they discussed political issues.
"The president asked about my future plans,” Prabowo, a former son-in-law of dictator Suharto, said after their June 26 meeting at the presidential palace. Neither have commented about their July 10 meeting.
Lingkaran Survei conducted its latest survey among 1,200 respondents nationwide between May 30 and June 12.
