Indonesia is currently embroiled in a pivotal presidential election, with over 200 million eligible voters poised to decide the fate of the world's third-largest democracy. The election has been marked by controversies, including allegations of voter fraud and intimidation by government officials, particularly towards poor residents with threats of cutting off rice and cooking oil rations if they do not vote for General Prabowo Subianto. Prabowo, a former general and son-in-law of the late dictator Suharto, has been backed by outgoing President Joko Widodo, despite Prabowo's appalling human rights record and ambivalence towards democracy. This support has led to widespread protests and concerns over the potential erosion of democratic gains made since the end of authoritarian rule 25 years ago. The election also sees a significant influence from the 'Jokowi effect', with the outgoing president's popularity potentially swaying voters. Amidst this, there are fears of a return to authoritarianism, with Prabowo's lead in the polls and his nationalistic campaign raising alarms. The election's outcome is closely watched by investors and international observers, given Indonesia's strategic importance and its role in maintaining regional balance between the US and China. Notably, a documentary detailing alleged poll interference by Jokowi has gone viral, amassing over 7 million views, further complicating the election landscape. Additionally, Prabowo, described as a US-protege massacre general, has a murky past that includes a history of civilian killings.
Prabowo Subianto, the leading candidate in Indonesia's presidential election, has used AI to rebrand from alleged human rights abuser to a “cuddly grandpa," in spite of AI companies' global policies against electoral uses, writes @rightsduff. https://t.co/8YDlg4aaYl
Indonesians vote on successor to Joko Widodo https://t.co/PrYOeTbzAI
Indonesia's general election offers a glimpse of how generative AI may transform large-scale political campaigning. https://t.co/bxalXnSlFA
This election in Indonesia is all about Jokowi. The main question for voters today is: Do they want continuity or change? w/ @bonimygi https://t.co/JTOrSyxCnu
The man likely to be Indonesia’s next leader stands accused of committing atrocities during his decades in the army. Under his presidency, will the world’s third-largest democracy continue its broadly successful rise or return to authoritarianism? https://t.co/FM6VIG8MXx 👇
Indonesians are voting in an election that has turned outgoing President Joko Widodo into a polarizing figure https://t.co/9wDbYtzp5z via @bpolitics
Indonesia votes for new president under shadow of influential incumbent https://t.co/H2kidLzM5W https://t.co/dwTLW8bG2m
🇮🇩🗳️Indonesians began voting for a new president on Wednesday with Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto the frontrunner despite concerns over his human rights record and claims of improper support from outgoing leader Joko Widodo. Full story: https://t.co/B5TLI5LIDf https://t.co/D8K2QLwDTR
Indonesians are voting in an election that has turned outgoing President Joko Widodo into a polarizing figure https://t.co/uq8GCKMKc7
Election ballots and boxes carried across Indonesia by motorcycle, boat, horse and on foot https://t.co/fEANAT3EGI
Iconic white ballot boxes and ballots to let the nearly 205 million eligible voters of Indonesia choose candidates in this Wednesday’s election have been carried across the world’s largest archipelago by motorcycle, boat, horse and on foot. https://t.co/v6BLVTikcx
Indonesia faces “daunting challenges at home and abroad”, argues @ganjarpranowo in a guest essay. “When the very people who are expected to abide by democratic rules of the game begin to bend those rules, the future of our democracy is indeed at stake” https://t.co/oYQGTlcxX9
Indonesia votes for its next president tomorrow and will likely choose Prabowo Subianto. A Prabowo inauguration will elicit none of the Western enthusiasm Jokowi's did a decade ago. Nonetheless, it could be useful. Here's my City Journal essay on the stakes: https://t.co/XKXw6RalTk
Democracy Now! discussion re Gen @prabowo's sponsorship by the US as he was doing the massacres & abductions, how the state aparat is coercing poor people to vote for him, and how he has tried to bring #Indonesia in line with #Israel. https://t.co/0QvAQ17cn7
Indonesia's presidential election has high stakes for the US and China and their rivalry in the region https://t.co/2YVdilBwgl
200 million voters. Polls open for just six hours. Ballot counting done manually. 🫨 Indonesia's election is one massive undertaking that requires everything from speedboats to elephants. @JFXM https://t.co/n92SH6BNkL
He’s spent months playing populist and dancing for the crowds but in the last moments of his presidential campaign, Prabowo Subianto made one thing clear - there would be no more Mr Cute Guy. https://t.co/Jall9ECevO Indonesia warned: ‘No More Mr Cute Guy’ https://t.co/Jall9ECevO
I'll be appearing on @democracynow at 20:00 WIB (8:00 am US Eastern) to discuss my piece in @theintercept on @prabowo, the US-protege massacre general who mused to me about becoming "a fascist dictator" & who may be on the verge of being installed as Indonesia's next president.
The @Prabowo forces have filed criminal charges against a film director and three law professors because they did a documentary ( Dirty Vote ) on vote fraud in Indonesia. This comes after they warned the filmmakers that "the people""will punish them." #DirtyVote #PemiluDamai https://t.co/xSmz9pVAgY
VIDEO: Hundreds of students protest against Indonesian President Joko Widodo's alleged election interference and the establishment of a political dynasty. https://t.co/dJAVpLzJU3
Gen @prabowo,who described himself to me as "the Americans' fair-haired boy" "anak kesayangan Amerika" has made a career inside Indonesia of killing civilians and pretending to oppose foreigners. As he did his massacres,he was Washington's man in Indonesia https://t.co/dXI50oGGtm
Indonesia's presidential election has high stakes for US and China https://t.co/hjO8lUg39o
Indonesians call their election a “democracy party.” We explain how and why. On today’s page 1 of the @nytimes https://t.co/ODYa6MfUBq
Indonesians call their elections a “democracy party.” We explain how and why. On today’s Page 1 of the @nytimes #pestademokrasi https://t.co/ODYa6MfUBq
Free and fair elections in Indonesia were unthinkable as recently as the mid-1990s, when it was still under the brutal rule of Suharto. But after his fall in 1998, the country emerged as the world’s third-largest democracy. https://t.co/zwTUBC97N2
The Prabowo team is now threatening the makers of #DirtyVote, the documentary about voter fraud, by saying that they are "worried" that "the people" "will punish them in their own fashion" "akan menghukum mereka dengan acara rakyat sendiri." #PemiluDamai https://t.co/gElBYFoXDC
Indonesia Election 2024 by numbers. 200M eligible voters. More than 50% under 40. They’re spread across archipelago with 17,000 islands, 700 languages, 3 time zones. Past elections have seen 75% voter turnout. Official results in days or weeks but quick count by end of day https://t.co/soOBw4qTQW
I reported that on Feb 7 Indonesian army &intel officials discussed a plan to do voter fraud to install Gen Prabowo. Now a just-released documentary in which law professors detail fraud procedures has been viewed 7 million-plus times but is facing hacking. https://t.co/1vwbRX3vyO
K-pop, TikTok and cats: the fight to win the key youth vote in Indonesia’s election https://t.co/l5zTGVvboi
Indonesian authorities were making final preparations ahead of Wednesday's election, with around 25,000 police set to ensure security in a contest seen as a test of democratic gains made since the end of authoritarian rule 25 years ago https://t.co/6mRbAJWaJ9
Former military general Prabowo Subianto is leading in the polls ahead of the Indonesian presidential election. https://t.co/EAMSBl5o4n
Indonesia made a remarkable transition from dictatorship to democracy. But "dark clouds are gathering again." with the lead candidate for president in Wednesday's election "threaten[ing] many of the gains Indonesians have achieved." https://t.co/6scr6F58le
Indonesia in final stretch ahead of world's biggest single-day election https://t.co/Do1k44ZC5G https://t.co/d2LYXV07YT
‘Disappointed’: Indonesians reflect on legacy of departing Joko Widodo https://t.co/EzOXJhjqpF
Over 200 million Indonesians will head to the polls tomorrow to vote for a new leader. Listen to our podcast Global Roaming to find out what the implications of this election are for Indonesia and its relationship with its Australian neighbour. https://t.co/8FI1ELyTaM
Indonesia will go to the polls on Wednesday in what will be the biggest single-day election in the world. https://t.co/8EVQjZYdVd
Most investors expect the endorsement of a new Indonesian president in a single round of voting on Wednesday, with the result potentially driving the local stock benchmark to a record high https://t.co/2ux3m6ZGFl
From banned general to dancing grandpa: how Prabowo became favourite to lead Indonesia https://t.co/HcX7eLBuys
Indonesian polls: By boat, cow and maybe even elephant – how ballot boxes reach remote areas 🗳️🇮🇩 https://t.co/ReiElA3bIA
Indonesia goes to the polls this week to vote for Joko Widodo's successor. Once of marginal importance, the country is now every bit the 'global maritime fulcrum' Jokowi claims. My latest @CityJournal: https://t.co/RwohPLZscR
Would a @prabowo victory in the Indonesian presidential election damage Indonesian democracy irreparably? https://t.co/hbq9LLtxBt via @CFR_org
My overview of the Indonesian election an the stakes - a Prabowo first round victory? https://t.co/hbq9LLtxBt via @CFR_org
🇮🇩 ‘Cuddly grandpa’ who is favourite to win Indonesia election has a murky past. Read more here 👇 https://t.co/1plK5IHyI1
My analysis on the eve of a critical presidential election: Indonesia’s Presidential Election: The Old Guard Faces the New https://t.co/hbq9LLtxBt via @CFR_org
Another US protege, this time in Indonesia, has his eyes set on stealing an election https://t.co/z2Kwrv2vqo
A documentary claiming Indonesian President Joko Widodo used state resources to try to swing this week's presidential election in favour of his defence minister has gone viral, amassing millions of views in a day. https://t.co/uFIhSBaFdS
Prabowo Subianto, the favourite to win Indonesia’s presidential election, has given few details on how he would make the country grow faster. Instead his stump speeches are packed with fiery nationalism https://t.co/7EU6986v0k 👇
Tech on the ballot as Indonesia votes https://t.co/cidBFhMDzF
'Jokowi effect': How Indonesia's outgoing leader shaped election to succeed him https://t.co/eaqFGnJvyo https://t.co/fWKnIiCZ62
⚠️ 'JOKOWI EFFECT': HOW INDONESIA'S OUTGOING LEADER SHAPED ELECTION TO SUCCEED HIM (Reuters) His name is not on the ballot, but Indonesia's wildly popular President Joko Widodo, or "Jokowi", looms large over Wednesday's election in the world's third-largest democracy, and… https://t.co/aHKsTc7tGg
The stakes are higher than many realize in Indonesia's election, writes @johnauthers. Investors hope it will continue to keep both China and the US happy https://t.co/hamq8YNRCu via @opinion
Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy, will hold its general election on Wednesday. This election season has raised fears that the country, which was an authoritarian state not long ago, is in danger of sliding back toward its dark past. https://t.co/QnbZK977bK
A Defense Minister and 2 Former Governors Vie for Indonesia’s Presidency https://t.co/8Und4fnBCd
Candidates hoping to lead the world’s third-largest democracy are vowing to raise its growth rate to 7%. Indonesians have heard it all before https://t.co/R71yN6Y5fx 👇
⚠️ INDONESIA STUDENTS PLAN TO PROTEST ALLEGED POLL INTERFERENCE (Reuters) Hundreds of Indonesian students and activists will stage protests on Monday over what they see as outgoing President Joko Widodo's abuse of power to sway voters in this week's election in favour of… https://t.co/l85A6iSJSB
Just two more days before Indonesia votes. This election is a real nail-biter —the fate of the world’s third-largest democracy is at stake. https://t.co/Qge4GL1LQp
Indonesia's Pres. Jokowi once vowed to stand up to the elite, but he has now "thrown his weight behind Prabowo Subianto, a former general and son-in-law of Suharto, who has an appalling human-rights record and a professed ambivalence towards democracy." https://t.co/l8glReCuyL
The stakes are higher than many realize in Indonesia's election, writes @johnauthers. Investors hope it will continue to keep both China and the US happy https://t.co/jgfwGT3FUm
Pejabat kelurahan -- Indonesian government officials at the village level -- are telling poor residents that if they don't vote for General Prabowo, their rice and cooking oil rations will be cut-off. https://t.co/NfpUu8dqAD