JAKARTA: Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy and the most populous Muslim-majority nation, kicked off its 2024 presidential campaign on Tuesday, with three candidates vying to lead the Southeast Asian archipelago, reported German news agency (dpa).
The incumbent president, Joko Widodo, is barred by the Constitution from seeking a third term. His successor will face the challenges of reviving the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic, tackling corruption, and balancing relations with China and the United States.
The three contenders for the Feb 14 election are former army general Prabowo Subianto, former governor of Central Java Ganjar Pranowo and ex-Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan.
Subianto, 72, is making his third bid for the presidency after losing to Widodo in 2014 and 2019.
The leader of the Great Indonesia Movement Party is running with Gibran Rakabuming, 36, the eldest son of Widodo and the mayor of Solo, a city in Central Java where Widodo began his political career.
Pranowo, 55, is a senior member of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle. His running mate is Mohammad Mahfud MD, 66, a former chief justice of the Constitutional Court and the current coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs.
Baswedan, 54, is the former governor of Jakarta and a former education minister. He is running as an opposition candidate, with the support of three parties, including two Muslim-oriented ones.
His running mate is Muhaimin Iskandar, 57, the chairman of the National Awakening Party and a former minister of manpower and transmigration.
According to a new opinion poll by Indikator Politik Indonesia, a reputable pollster, Subianto has increased his lead over his closest competitor after picking Rakabuming as his running mate.
The poll, conducted from Oct 27 to Nov 1, showed that Subianto had 40.6 per cent support, followed by Pranowo with 27.8 per cent and Baswedan with 23.7 per cent.
The campaign period will last until Feb 10, with voting day on Feb14.
If no candidate pair wins more than 50 per cent of votes, with at least 20 per cent of votes spread over more than half of the provinces, a run-off will be held on June 26 between the top two pairs.
The newly elected president and vice-president will be sworn in on Oct 20 along with the members of the People’s Consultative Assembly, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Regional Representative Council.
Indonesia has about 205 million eligible voters, who on Feb 14 will also elect members of local legislative bodies across the country. –Bernama-dpa
