JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian voters chose new president The world's third-largest democracy on Wednesday aims to become a global economic power, a quarter of a century after shaking off a brutal dictatorship.
The frontrunner, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, is the only candidate with ties to the Suharto era. The then-special forces commander has been accused of human rights atrocities, charges he vehemently denies.
Two former state governorsAnees Baswedan and Gunjal Pranowo are also vying to succeed him. President Joko Widodo is extremely popular., he is serving the last of two terms. Widodo's rise to the presidency from a riverside slum demonstrated the vibrancy of Indonesia's democracy in a region plagued by dictatorships.
Mr. Widodo's successor will inherit the economy It includes spectacular growth and ambitious infrastructure projects, including moving the capital from congested Jakarta to the remote island of Borneo, which is underway at a staggering cost of more than $30 billion.
The election also US and ChinaThis is because Indonesia has a huge domestic market, natural resources such as nickel and palm oil, and diplomatic influence with its Southeast Asian neighbors.
Voting began at 7 a.m. in each of three time zones across the 17,000 islands of this tropical country, home to 270 million people. The logistics of voting were daunting. Ballot boxes and ballots were transported by boat, motorcycle, horse, and in more remote locations on foot.
Severe thunderstorms flooded several streets in Jakarta in the early hours of Wednesday. Last week, elections were postponed in 10 villages due to damage caused by heavy rains in Demak regency, Central Java province.
Apart from the presidential position, tens of thousands of candidates were vying for about 20,000 positions in national, regional, and local legislatures. One of the world's largest elections, authorities expect the situation to remain largely peaceful. Approximately 10,000 candidates from 18 political parties were aiming for just 580 seats in parliament.
Voters interviewed by The Associated Press expressed hope that the next leader will help them achieve greater prosperity in a country where nearly a tenth of the population still lives in poverty.
“I hope Indonesia will develop better and I hope I didn't vote for the wrong person,” said Indra Nurohim, a 17-year-old high school student who became a first-time voter. “I hope we have a better government.”
Official vote tallying is a painstaking process that can take about a month, but early results, based on a sampling of registered private polls and research groups, are considered a reliable indicator of the final outcome . If no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes, the presidential election will proceed to a runoff on June 26.
subianto Oldest presidential candidate at 72 years oldlost to Widodo in the previous two races, but is now the favorite according to an independent poll. He selected Mr Widodo's eldest son, Gibran Rakabumin Raka, as his running mate, a move that could improve his chances given the outgoing president's popularity.
Raka, 36, was allowed to run when: constitutional court At the time, the court was presided over by Mr. Widodo's brother-in-law, but when Mr. Widodo refused to recuse himself, he was removed by the Ethics Committee, and Mr. Widodo was accused of favoritism and nepotism.
Critics say Mr Widodo is the first president outside the political and military elite since the end of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998, which was marked by widespread human rights abuses, looting and political instability. accused of trying to build a political dynasty.
Subianto, a former lieutenant general who is married to one of Suharto's daughters, was for many years the commander of an army special forces unit called Kopassus. He was dishonorably released in 1998 after Kopassus forces kidnapped and tortured Suharto's political opponents.
Of the at least 22 activists kidnapped that year, 13 are still missing, and their families hold weekly protests outside the presidential palace demanding accountability for the activists. Subianto was never brought to trial and strongly denied his involvement, but several of his subordinates were tried and convicted.
During the campaign, which ended last weekend, Subianto and his strategists AI and social media Platforms like TikTok have tried to soften his image by portraying him as a kind grandfather to his young running mates. Rejected by human rights activists, he danced on the campaign stage, promising to create nearly 20 million jobs in his first term if elected.
Baswedan is a former rector of Islamic University and served as governor of Jakarta until last year. Baswedan, a former Fulbright scholar, served as Minister of Education and Culture from 2014 to 2016, but President Widodo removed him from the cabinet for failing to address the issue of thousands of students affected by the bushfires. I removed it.
Baswedan opposes Widodo's plan to move Indonesia's capital from Jakarta to Nusantara on the island of Borneo. The plan includes cutting down lush rainforest to make way for government buildings and residential areas.
in an interview He told The Associated Press last month that Indonesia's democracy was under threat after Subianto chose the president's son as his running mate.
“This means less trust, it means less quality of democracy, it means a lot of legal rules are being bent,” he said.
Mr. Pranowo is the ruling party's candidate, but he does not have the support of Mr. Widodo. He served as a member of parliament for the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle for 10 years before being elected to the first of two terms as governor of the vote-rich Central Java province in 2013.
During his tenure as governor, Pranowo rejected Israel's participation in the U-20 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the state. FIFA subsequently removed Indonesia from hosting the match, angering Indonesian soccer fans and Widodo.
Israel does not have diplomatic relations with Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.
Under Widodo, Indonesia has achieved impressive annual growth of 5%, with the exception of 2020, when the economy shrank due to the coronavirus pandemic.
His economic roadmap, dubbed “Golden Indonesia 2045,” predicts Indonesia will become one of the world's top five economies with a GDP of up to $9 trillion, exactly a century after winning independence from its Dutch colony. are doing.
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Associated Press writer Jim Gomez in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.
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