JAKARTA, Indonesia — After a vibrant election that saw over 100 million Indonesians cast ballots across thousands of islands, initial results point to a decisive victory for former military commander Prabowo Subianto. If his wide margin in early tallies holds as final counts trickle in, the controversial figure who was accused of human rights abuses decades ago will lead the world’s largest Muslim-majority democracy without needing a runoff vote.
Mr. Subianto declared victory Wednesday night despite the lack of definitive numbers from Indonesia’s election commission. “All counts, all pollsters…showed figures that Prabowo-Gibran won in one round,” he proclaimed to throngs of enthusiastic supporters packed into a Jakarta arena, invoking his running mate. “We believe Indonesian democracy is running well. The people have determined, the people have decided.”
A Nexus of Wealth, Power and Intrigue
The president-elect brings to the office a nexus of wealth, military influence and proximity to power centers. The former top general commanded forces under the decades-long dictatorship of Suharto in the 1990s. After Suharto resigned amid protests, Mr. Subianto found himself disgorged from the military he once led amid allegations of human rights violations and the disappearance of democracy activists.
Barred for years from entering the United States over those accusations, Mr. Subianto has undergone a social media makeover. The septuagenarian has rebranded himself as an affable grandfather by saturating TikTok with lighthearted dance videos. The campaign erased memories of past allegations for younger Indonesians with no recollection of his time in uniform.
What Will Subianto’s Indonesia Look Like?
The incoming president will inherit a country navigating tricky shoals in foreign affairs and global economics. Indonesia has increased palm oil and nickel exports critical for electric vehicle batteries while maintaining positive ties with both Washington and Beijing. It remains unclear whether Mr. Subianto would alter this carefully balanced diplomacy.
Domestically, human rights advocates wait with some trepidation given the president-elect’s expressed esteem for authoritarian governance. He once extolled the virtues of abolishing presidential term limits. Mr. Subianto has denied personal responsibility for disappearances under his military command.
With decisive electoral backing buoying his political capital, the new president may see a clear runway for advancing his vision of Indonesian power and sovereignty. Critics caution that beneath kindly grandfatherly images lurks an instinct for populist strongman rule. Only time will tell whether darker chapters of Indonesia’s past return to the foreground.
