Registration commences in Indonesia on Thursday for contenders aiming to succeed President Joko Widodo after nearly a decade in power. This marks the beginning of election season in the third-largest democracy in the world. In February, approximately 205 million out of Indonesia’s over 270 million population will have the opportunity to choose their new leader. The elected candidate will govern a resource-rich country with an economy surpassing $1 trillion. The future president will also face the challenge of boosting foreign investment, developing downstream industries, and transitioning away from fossil fuel dependency.
The presidential race is expected to be dominated by three individuals: Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, 72 years old, former popular governors Ganjar Pranowo and Anies Baswedan, both aged 54.
The camps of Anies and Ganjar have indicated their intention to register and present their policy platforms at the election commission on Thursday. As the seven-day registration window opens, candidates will have the opportunity to join the five-yearly contest. Opinion polls suggest that Ganjar and Prabowo are in a close race, with former Jakarta governor Anies trailing behind.
Candidates will also finalize their running mates for the election, putting an end to months of speculation and political maneuvering to form alliances and gain traction among new voters.
Ganjar, the presidential candidate of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), will be joined on his ticket by the respected former judge and current chief security minister Mahfud MD. Anies, on the other hand, will run alongside Muhaimin Iskandar, the leader of the largest Islamic party, which has links to a 40 million-member Islamic organization.
Former special forces commander Prabowo has yet to announce his vice-presidential running mate, causing speculation that Jokowi’s 36-year-old son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, will join his ticket. This potential move by Gibran has sparked controversy following a recent Constitutional Court ruling that the minimum age of 40 for presidential and vice-presidential candidates is not applicable to all.
Although Jokowi stated that he has no involvement in the selection of presidential candidates, insiders suggest that the outgoing leader seeks to maintain influence and has clandestinely rallied support for Prabowo, despite initially appearing to support Ganjar, the candidate from his own PDI-P party.
(Reporting by Stanley Widianto; Additional reporting by Ananda Teresia; Editing by Martin Petty)
