Today’s news / Ex-military chief’s major victory in Indonesian polls
A worker checks a big screen before an event in Jakarta, where the unofficial results of the election will be announced. It is presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto on the left and his vice presidential candidate, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is the son of the outgoing president, Joko Widodo, on the right. Photo: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

Ex-military chief’s major victory in Indonesian polls

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, a controversial former military commander, is projected to win Indonesia’s presidential election with nearly 60% support, according to an unofficial vote count by the independent polling firm Litbang Kompas. His closest rivals, Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, received approximately 22.9% and 17.3% respectively. Another count by Indikator Politik confirms Subianto’s significant lead. Despite his controversial past and accusations of human rights violations, polls had predicted his victory. He was dismissed from the military in 1998 amid allegations of his involvement in the disappearance of democracy activists, which he denied and for which he was never charged. Subianto pledges to continue the policies of the outgoing popular President Joko Widodo and has nominated Widodo’s eldest son as his vice-presidential candidate. The official election result is expected in March, and if Subianto surpasses 50% of the vote, he wins without the need for a second round.