Indonesia has concluded the world’s largest single-day election, with over 200 million eligible voters across the archipelago. The election will determine the successor to the popular outgoing president, Joko Widodo.
Prabowo Subianto, a former special commander under the Suharto dictatorship, has emerged as the frontrunner in pre-election surveys. He has rebranded his image and secured the tacit support of the outgoing president. However, it remains uncertain if he will secure more than 50% of votes to win in the first round.
View image in fullscreenIndonesia’s presidential candidates Ganjar Pranowo (c), Prabowo Subianto (l) and Anies Baswedan speaking during the first presidential election debate in Jakarta on 12 December. Photograph: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
The election is not only for the president and vice president but also for executive and legislative representatives at all administrative levels across the country, which spans 17,000 islands and three time zones.
Indonesia election: everything you need to knowRead more
The election is a massive logistical challenge, with ballot boxes delivered to over 820,000 polling stations by various means of transportation.
This year’s election will be influenced by young voters, who make up more than 50% of eligible voters and have been targeted through social media campaigns.
Voting in 10 villages in Central Java was delayed due to flooding, and the capital Jakarta experienced heavy thunderstorms. Despite the challenges, voters turned out to cast their ballots.
Indonesia, which transitioned from authoritarian rule just 26 years ago, typically sees high voter turnout on election day, which is a national holiday known as Pesta Demokrasi.
2024-02-14 01:29:52
Original from www.theguardian.com
