PROGRES.ID– Foreign media are once again focusing on Indonesia’s Presidential Election (Pilpres), this time regarding the current frontrunner in opinion polls in the country. Reuters reported that Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto leads in a recent survey conducted last Wednesday. He is described as dominating the survey, followed by former Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo.
The media outlet stated, “Indonesia’s Defense Minister, a former special forces commander, takes the top spot in a poll published on Wednesday, as candidates prepare to register for next year’s presidential election, which is expected to be tightly contested,” as quoted on Friday (10/6/2023).
In addition to Prabowo Subianto and Ganjar Pranowo, former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan is also mentioned as a figure who dominates the surveys leading up to the election in Indonesia, which is a member of the G20 with a trillion-dollar economy and the world’s third-largest democracy.
“This is how Prabowo Subianto and Ganjar Pranowo, the former Governor of Central Java, dominate the surveys leading up to the election in a G20 economy worth trillions of dollars and the world’s third-largest democracy, after former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan,” it added.
The article also includes the latest survey results from the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), which show that 34% of respondents would choose Prabowo, while Ganjar garnered around 30.4%, and Anies received about 22%. The survey involved 1,206 respondents and was conducted in September, with a margin of error of 2.9%.
According to Djayadi Hanan, Chairman of LSI, in the event of a second round of voting, Prabowo is predicted to defeat Ganjar by a margin of about 11 points.
“In the second round of elections, Prabowo will win against Ganjar by a margin of about 11 points. Prabowo Subianto has an advantage of 11.3%… This is a significant advantage,” Reuters quoted LSI.
However, there is also an opinion that about 40% of Indonesians have not yet decided on their choice, as explained by analysts from the Indonesian Political Indicator, Burhanuddin Muhtadi, and analysts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Philips J. Vermonte. This is due to the absence of officially registered candidates at this time.
“All three of them, and their running mates, are expected to officially register between October 19 and 25,” Reuters reported.
The candidates, including Prabowo and Ganjar, are expected to officially register between October 19 and 25, 2023. The presidential election in Indonesia is scheduled to be held simultaneously on February 14, 2024. Prabowo is also said to have the potential to gain support from President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) despite coming from a different party, which would undoubtedly boost his electability.
Prabowo, who previously lost in presidential elections in 2014 and 2019, has gained momentum after initiating a rebranding campaign that targets the younger generation through sophisticated social media presence.
Analysts are closely monitoring who will win the support of the highly popular incumbent, Joko Widodo, even though he is limited to two terms, totaling five years.
“Analysts are closely watching who will win the support of the highly popular incumbent, Joko Widodo… who is limited to two terms, totaling five years,” it added.
Although Jokowi has expressed his support for Ganjar, who is also a member of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), tensions between him and PDI-P Chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri, along with his increasingly frequent appearances alongside Prabowo, have led some analysts to believe that he is still considering his options.
source: CNBC Indonesia
