Prabowo Subianto, a former Indonesian military general, businessman and defence minister, pledged on Wednesday during his victory speech to become a leader for all citizens regardless of ethnicity or religion, according to local media.
All major pollsters reported a Prabowo victory with 57%-59% of the vote based on samples collected from 2,000 polling stations nationwide. All major pollsters predicted that his two rivals, former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo would receive 24%-26% and 15%-17% of the vote respectively.
Addressing his rival candidates with a conciliatory message, Subianto stated that “the campaign period is over” and “strong words and hostile approach” were now a matter of the past.
I have repeatedly said that I will protect all citizens, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or social background. It is our responsibility to work for the best interests of the Indonesian people.
Official results are expected to be announced in the next 35 days, with the inauguration of the new president taking place in October, when Joko Widodo’s second term ends. Subianto, who was defeated in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections, would succeed the president who led Indonesia for a decade.
Indonesia, with a population of more than 274 million, is the world’s third largest democracy and the world’s largest Muslim-majority democracy. It is also holding the world’s largest single-day election, which will choose some 20,000 administrative officials in 38 provinces across 820,000 polling stations.
