Persuasive: (From left) Prabowo, Ganjar and Anies speaking during the first presidential election debate in Jakarta. — AFP
THE country’s presidential election will be held on Feb 14, with three candidates battling to lead South-East Asia’s biggest economy and the third-largest democracy in the world.
The relocation of the archipelago’s capital from Jakarta to Nusantara on Borneo island and the fight against corruption are two key issues to succeed President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo after a decade in power.
Prabowo Subianto, 72, of the Advanced Indonesia Coalition, is the frontrunner, with polls projecting he will win a majority.
The defence chief is a retired military general who was fired in 1998 for allegedly ordering the kidnapping of tens of pro-democracy activists in unrest following the fall of dictator Suharto.
Together with Jokowi’s 36-year-old son Gibran Rakabuming Raka as his vice-presidential candidate, Prabowo has been outspoken about continuing the incumbent leader’s policies.
Prabowo has pledged to eradicate childhood stunting due to malnutrition by offering free lunch to students, becoming one of his most popular programmes, with the prevalence of stunting falling from 27.7% in 2019 to 21.6% in 2022.
Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan has portrayed himself as the anti-establishment candidate in Indonesia’s presidential campaign, climbing to second place in polls on the back of a message that includes opposing a costly relocation of the capital.
He is now polling in second as the main challenger to Prabowo.
Anies, 54, is nominated by a coalition in which his National Democratic Party is supported by two Islamic parties.
He is popular with conservative Muslims and Islamists in the Muslim-majority country.
The former governor of Central Java for two terms, Ganjar Pranowo was the main opponent to Prabowo after being nominated as the candidate for a coalition led by Jokowi’s ruling Indonesia Democracy of Struggle Party.
Anies has since overtaken him in the polls.
The 55-year-old is focusing on issues such as health, housing and food.
He has picked current chief security minister Mahfud MD as his running mate and put graft eradication high on his campaign agenda.
Like Prabowo, he is promising to carry on Jokowi’s policies, such as moving the capital.
Ganjar and Mahfud are the only candidates who have experience in three areas of power: legislative, executive and judicial. — AFP
