Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has bestowed the country’s second-highest military rank on his likely successor, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, praising his service to the nation but drawing criticisms over the ex-general’s controversial past. Jokowi, as he is often known, presented the honorary rank of four-star general to the 72-year-old in front of high-ranking military and … Read more
President Joe Biden should immediately congratulate Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto on his presumptive victory in the country’s presidential election on February 14. This simple action would signal that the U.S. government understands new and evolving political realities in Asia. China, our geopolitical and economic competitor in the Indo-Pacific, has already done it. So have … Read more
The victory of Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto at last month’s presidential election marks a pivotal juncture in the nation’s political trajectory. Unofficial tallies show the former general winning the election by a significant margin over his competitors, Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, following two unsuccessful attempts at securing the presidency. Based on quick count … Read more
Last week, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced that it would open accession talks with Indonesia, after receiving the approval of the group’s 38 members. In a statement announcing the decision on February 20, OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann described the move as “historic.” “Indonesia’s application is the first from Southeast Asia, one … Read more
On February 14, Indonesia held its long-anticipated presidential election. While the General Elections Commission has until March 20 to announce the final results, based on a preliminary quick count of the votes, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, a former army general, is on track to win the presidency with a significant majority of the total votes … Read more
Indonesia’s ruling party has raised concerns about the conduct of this month’s presidential election, and says it will seek official investigations into alleged violations of election laws. In comments given to Reuters, Hasto Kristiyanto, the secretary general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said that the party is seeking a parliamentary investigation of … Read more
Indonesia and Australia held high-level talks in Jakarta on Friday as the neighboring countries seek to strengthen security ties by signing a defense cooperation agreement in the coming months. Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who is set to become Indonesia’s next president, said that he and Australian counterpart Richard Marles discussed ways of maintaining and enhancing … Read more
The two losing Indonesian presidential candidates have called for a formal inquiry into the conduct of last week’s election, which was won in a resounding fashion by Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto. This week, both Ganjar Pranowo and Anies Baswedan have expressed concerns that the February 14 election was marred by widespread irregularities, including vote-buying and … Read more
Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has congratulated his Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, after unofficial counts showed the gruff former general clinching Wednesday’s presidential election by a decisive margin. “Congratulations, congratulations. I met them in person, last night,” Jokowi told reporters yesterday, when asked if he had offered his congratulations to Prabowo and his vice-presidential running … Read more
A wealthy ex-general with ties to both Indonesia’s popular outgoing president and its dictatorial past looks set to be its next president, after unofficial tallies showed him taking a clear majority in the first round of voting. Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto presented himself as heir to the immensely popular sitting President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, vowing … Read more