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Prabowo Subianto is leading Indonesia’s presidential election, according to early projections by private polling groups, putting the controversial former general on track to take over south-east Asia’s biggest economy but stoking concerns for the future of the young democracy.
The 72-year-old former special forces commander is expected to succeed the hugely popular Joko Widodo, who has overhauled the economy in his 10 years in power, put Indonesia firmly on the radar of foreign investors and positioned the country as an important player in global energy transition ambitions by wielding its vast nickel resources.
Prabowo had won 58.7 per cent of the vote with 39 per cent of votes counted, according to sampling known as quick counts by private pollster Indikator Politik.
Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan was second with 25 per cent, followed by former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo at about 16 per cent, according to the early unofficial indications.
Another pollster, LSI, said Prabowo had won 57.7 per cent of the votes with nearly 40 per cent of the votes tallied.
Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, is constitutionally barred from running for a third term. Official results will not be announced until March.
The preliminary result capped a remarkable turnaround for Prabowo, the current defence minister, who was previously banned from entering the US over accusations of being involved in the abduction and killings of pro-democracy activists.
Prabowo, who has always denied the allegations, has tried to soften his image, appealing to Indonesia’s younger voters by campaigning heavily on social media and promising to maintain Widodo’s policies by increasing income from commodities exports and courting foreign investment.
