Prabowo Subianto Declared Indonesia’s President-Elect Amid Controversy

Indonesia’s electoral commission has officially declared Prabowo Subianto as the president-elect after the country’s highest court rejected challenges to his landslide victory lodged by two losing presidential candidates. Subianto, currently serving as the defense minister, secured 58.6% of the votes, amounting to more than 96 million ballots, which is more than twice the number received by either of his rivals.

However, Subianto’s victory was not without controversy, as his opponents alleged widespread fraud and state interference in the electoral process. Authorities deployed over 4,200 police and soldiers to maintain order during the declaration ceremony held at the General Election Commission compound.

Calls for Unity and Collaboration

During the ceremony, attended by the country’s political elite, including rival candidate Anies Baswedan and his running mate Muhaimin Iskandar, Subianto called for unity and cooperation among political leaders. He stated, “The race has finished… the tough contest, with sometimes heated debates, is over. And now our people demand that political leaders must work together and collaborate for the people’s welfare and to eliminate poverty and corruption in Indonesia.”

Legal Challenges and Constitutional Court Ruling

The General Election Commission certified the election results on March 20, but the formal declaration ceremony was delayed due to legal challenges from rival candidates Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo. They sought to annul the result and demand a revote, alleging nepotism and challenging the candidacy of Subianto’s running mate, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is the eldest son of outgoing President Joko Widodo.

In a 5-to-3 decision, the Constitutional Court rejected the arguments, stating that the legal teams of the losing candidates had failed to prove allegations of widespread fraud. The verdict cannot be appealed, and both Baswedan and Pranowo conceded and congratulated Subianto and Raka, expressing their commitment to a peaceful transfer of power.

Subianto’s Controversial Past

Prabowo Subianto, a longtime commander in Indonesia’s Kopassus special forces, was discharged from the military in 1998 after Kopassus soldiers tortured activists who opposed dictator Suharto, his father-in-law. Although he denies any involvement, several of his men were tried and convicted.

Subianto went into self-exile in Jordan before returning and founding the Gerindra Party in 2008. He has previously worked closely with hard-line Islamists to undermine his opponents and made three unsuccessful bids for the presidency, challenging his own losses to Widodo in 2019, which led to violence that claimed nine lives in Jakarta.