Indonesian elections: Who are the presidential candidates?

Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy, will vote in its sixth election on February 14 since emerging from military dictatorship in the 1990s.

It is a three-way race for the top position between the current defense minister, Prabowo Subianto, and two former governors, Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo.

One of them will succeed President Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi, who served two full terms.

Widodo remains hugely popular, but his legacy has been tarnished by accusations that he is trying to maintain political influence through his eldest son, who is running alongside Suharto’s military commander Prabowo. .

This has raised concerns that Indonesia is at risk of reverting to its authoritarian past.

The outcome of the election will have implications far beyond Indonesia, with the winner having to contend with escalating tensions between the United States and China in the Indo-Pacific region.

The front-runner to become Indonesia’s next president has tried desperately to soften his image as a strongman, but for some voters he remains associated with abuses committed during General Suharto’s dictatorship.

Prabowo, 72, was a military general who was married to one of General Suharto’s daughters. Although he comes from a wealthy political family, the first half of his career was devoted to the military.

He is accused of ordering his troops to abduct and torture dozens of democracy activists during his time as a leading officer in the Suharto regime.

Following the scandal, he was released and went into self-imposed exile in Jordan in the 2000s.

However, he returned to Indonesia a few years later and amassed a fortune in various businesses before jumping into politics.

He had the money and connections to run for president twice, losing both times to Widodo.

But Widodo brought him into his cabinet as defense minister last term, making Prabowo the closest person to the top job so far. His running mate is Widodo’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabumin Raka.

Widodo did not appear at Prabowo’s election events, but is believed to have tacitly supported the Prabowo-Gibran ticket.

The possibility of Mr. Prabowo’s victory is a frightening concept for freedom fighters. They fear that if a Suharto-era general returns to the helm of Indonesia’s government, it could drag the country back into the dark ages.

Anies Baswedan, who was at the bottom of the polls, criticized Jokowi’s plan to move the capital from Jakarta to a new city he is building on the island of Borneo, and is now second in the polls. .

The former Jakarta governor supports the development of existing cities to promote equitable growth, rather than developing a new capital from scratch.

Ms. Áñez, 54, is portraying herself as an alternative to the other two candidates who are expected to inherit most of Mr. Widodo’s policies if elected.

He repeatedly asserted that democracy had declined under Widodo and vowed to “consistently work to move the country away from practices of feudalism and nepotism.”

Mr. Anis and his running mate, Muhaymin Iskandar, will contest this year’s election under the banner of the pro-Islamic United Change Coalition. Their narrative for change has gained support from conservative Islamic groups in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.

If elected, the pair promised to create 15 million jobs, improve access to finance for prospective home buyers and upgrade infrastructure in Indonesia’s second-tier cities.

Born into a family of academics, Áñez began his career as a lecturer in economics at Paramadina University before entering politics in 2013. He was appointed minister of education and culture after Widodo’s first victory, but he has been more vocal in criticizing the president. After he was dismissed in a cabinet reshuffle.

In 2017, he won the Jakarta gubernatorial election after a divided vote that exposed religious and ethnic tensions in the Indonesian capital. During his tenure, there has been a push to improve the city’s urban infrastructure, but some feel it is not enough to address long-standing problems such as air pollution and traffic congestion.

The governor of one of Indonesia’s largest provinces presents himself as a humble man of the people.

There is no political dynasty or family wealth behind his rise. Just the skills to connect with people about the populist agenda. That won him two terms in Central Java.

But he faces long odds in the national election without the support of the hugely popular Mr. Widodo, who himself was supported by PDI-P in the past two elections.

Early in the election campaign, he was seen as Widodo’s successor, with analysts predicting him to be the frontrunner. However, Widodo has since distanced himself from the party’s campaign activities.

Ganjar relied on populist appeals and grassroots movements to tout policies such as millions of jobs, expanded social welfare and greater access to universities.

His campaign began in Papua in the far east, traveled across the archipelago staying in the homes of poor villagers, and has focused on impoverished areas of Indonesia’s islands.

The silver-haired politician rose to prominence as governor until he announced his opposition to Israel’s participation in the U-20 FIFA World Cup in his state. FIFA subsequently announced the cancellation of the tournament in the country, sparking a backlash against Ganjar from soccer fans.

His running mate is Indonesia’s former security minister Mohammad Mahfud, who is also a former president of the Constitutional Court.