World

Ex-general Prabowo Subianto confirmed as Indonesia’s next president

He won 58.6% of the vote, the official count shows.

Prabowo Subianto has been confirmed the victor of last month’s presidential election (AP)
Prabowo Subianto Prabowo Subianto has been confirmed the victor of last month’s presidential election (AP) (Tatan Syuflana/AP)

Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces general with ties to Indonesia’s current president and past dictatorship, has been confirmed as the victor of last month’s presidential election.

Two former governors he defeated in the poll have vowed to contest the result in court.

Mr Subianto won 58.6% of the votes, while former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan received 24.9% and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo got 16.5%, the General Election Commission said after the official counting was completed.

In Indonesia, election disputes can be registered with the Constitutional Court during the three days that follow the announcement of official results.

Mr Subianto defeated two other candidates who have vowed to contest the result in court (AP)
Prabowo Subianto Mr Subianto defeated two other candidates who have vowed to contest the result in court (AP) (Binsar Bakkara/AP)

The two other candidates have alleged fraud and irregularities in the election process, such as the vice presidential candidacy of President Joko Widodo’s son.

The popular outgoing president is serving his second term and could not run again, but his son’s candidacy is seen as a sign of his tacit backing for Mr Subianto.

Mr Widodo’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is 37 but became Mr Subianto’s running mate after the Constitutional Court made an exception to the minimum age requirement of 40 for candidates.

The Constitutional Court’s chief justice, who is Mr Widodo’s brother-in-law, was then removed by an ethics panel for failing to recuse himself and for making last-minute changes to the election candidacy requirements.

Mr Subianto, who is Mr Widodo’s defence minister, had claimed victory on election day after unofficial tallies showed he was winning nearly 60% of the votes.