Voting under way to choose Indonesia’s new president and other leaders
JAKARTA: Voting is under way in Indonesia, with more than 200 million people expected to cast their ballots for the country’s next president and vice-president on Feb 14.

In what has been called the world’s biggest single-day elections, voters across the archipelago, which stretches across three time zones, are also electing their parliamentarians as well as their executive and legislative representatives at all administrative levels.

All eyes are on the presidential race, with three pairs of candidates vying for the posts of president and vice-president. The country’s current leader, Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, is finishing his second five-year term and is constitutionally barred from contesting again.

The first pair consists of front runner and defence chief Prabowo Subianto, 72, who narrowly lost to Widodo in 2014 and 2019, and Solo mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, Mr Widodo’s elder son.

Former governor of Jakarta Anies Baswedan, 54, who has also set his sights on the presidency, is running with former minister of manpower and transmigration Muhaimin Iskandar, 57, who is vying to be vice-president.

The third pair comprises ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle candidate and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo, 55, and his running mate, former chief security minister Mahfud MD, 66.

A total of 580 seats are also up for grabs in the House of Representatives, Indonesia’s national Parliament. A total of 9,917 candidates from 18 political parties are vying for these seats.

Voters began casting their ballots when the first polling booths in the east of Indonesia opened at 6am Singapore time, and the hundreds of thousands of polling stations across the country will close by 2pm Singapore time.

Voting got off to a wet start in several parts of the country, as heavy rain and flooding forced some to adjust their plans.

Over in the Demak regency in Central Java, the election authorities postponed voting in nine villages after over 100 polling stations were affected by severe floods. Under Indonesian law, voting can be postponed to no later than 10 days after voting.

In the capital Jakarta, heavy rains in the early hours of the morning meant that some voters had to hold up umbrellas as they headed to their polling stations. Several traffic accidents were reported, owing to the slippery roads.

Speaking to the media at his Jakarta home before heading out to vote, Mr Anies said that he hoped the election process would go smoothly despite the weather.

“Yes it is raining. But our experience is this: rain does not dampen the spirit, and heat does not melt the spirit. So we’ll go ahead,” he said.

Ganjar called for “clean elections” before he headed to a polling station in Semarang in Central Java.

“What’s important is the integrity of how we count the votes. I am sure that all three candidate pairs will accept the results with grace,” he said.

Counting of the votes can begin only after the polls have closed.

The complete vote count by Indonesia’s official polls body, the General Elections Commission (KPU), is not expected to be released on Feb 14, given the large number of ballots to be counted.

But early indications of how the race is shaping up will be available from around 4pm Singapore time, when independent survey agencies begin releasing their quick count results based on sample votes.

KPU is expected to announce the final official results weeks later.

The polls come after more than 10 weeks of campaigning, with the presidential candidates holding their final rallies on Feb 10.

Indonesian law states that a presidential candidate needs a simple majority – or more than 50 per cent – of the votes to win. They also need to attain at least 20 per cent of the votes in half of Indonesia’s 38 provinces.

If that does not happen, the top two pairs of candidates will enter a run-off vote in June, with the third pair eliminated.

residential frontrunner Prabowo Subianto waving and greeting his supporters after casting his vote at Bojong Koneng poll station in Bogor regency, West Java. PHOTO: THERESIA SUFA

Analysts had widely predicted a June run-off, but the tide appeared to turn in favour of Prabowo days before the polls. After months of his electability ratings staying stagnant and hovering around the mid-40 per cent mark, two latest surveys showed Prabowo breaching the 50 per cent threshold.

In a survey by pollster Indikator Politik Indonesia, carried out from Jan 28 to Feb 4 and released on Feb 9, Prabowo received 51.8 per cent of the vote from respondents, followed by Anies with 24.1 per cent, and Ganjar with 19.6 per cent.

In another poll by the Indonesia Survey Institute released on Feb 10, Prabowo received 51.9 per cent of support, followed by Anies with 23.3 per cent and Ganjar with 20.3 per cent.

The next president will take office in October 2024. - The Straits Times/ANN
Indonesia,elections,voting
JAKARTA: Voting is under way in Indonesia, with more than 200 million people expected to cast their ballots for the country’s next president and vice-president on Feb 14.