In a distinguished ceremony on Wednesday, Indonesia’s electoral commission formally announced Prabowo Subianto as the president-elect, following the dismissal of challenges by two defeated presidential candidates by the country’s highest court.
Prabowo Subianto, the current defense minister, secured the presidency with an impressive 58.6% of the votes, totaling over 96 million ballots. Despite allegations of widespread fraud and state interference from his rivals, his victory was ultimately upheld.
The certification of the election results was accompanied by a formal declaration ceremony, attended by the country’s political elite, including rival candidate Anies Baswedan and his running mate Muhaimin Iskandar. Subianto and his vice president-elect, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, arrived at the General Election Commission compound, where they greeted their supporters under stringent security measures.
In his address to the audience at the ceremony, Subianto acknowledged the debates and challenges and called for cooperation among political leaders to work for the people’s welfare. He underscored the importance of eradicating poverty and corruption in Indonesia as he prepares to take office in October, succeeding the incumbent President Joko Widodo.
The General Election Commission initially certified the election results on March 20, but the formal declaration was postponed due to legal challenges from rival candidates Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, who sought a revote and questioned the eligibility of Raka as Subianto’s running mate. The Constitutional Court rejected these arguments on Monday with an unappealable 5-to-3 decision.
Following the court’s decision, Baswedan and Iskandar conceded and congratulated Subianto and Raka, expressing their commitment to upholding the principle of a peaceful transfer of power and continuing to enhance the quality of Indonesian democracy. Pranowo and his running mate, Mohammad Mahfud, also respected the court’s decision, acknowledging the need to accept it as final, legal, and binding.
Prabowo Subianto, a former commander in Indonesia’s Kopassus special forces, has faced controversy in the past but decisively won the presidential election. As the founder of the Gerindra Party, he is no stranger to the political landscape, having made multiple bids for the presidency in the past.
As he prepares to assume the highest office in the country, all eyes are on Subianto to witness his approach to governance and his ability to lead Indonesia into the future.
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