Who are the candidates for Indonesia’s presidential election?

JAKARTA - Indonesia will be holding its presidential election in February 2024, with

three men vying for the top job

in the world’s third-largest democracy and the most populous Muslim-majority nation.

Here are details of the candidates who have registered or are expected to register.

Prabowo Subianto

The former special forces commander is making a third run at the presidency, having twice lost to outgoing President Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, in 2014 and 2019.

A recent poll of potential candidates by Lembaga Survei Indonesia showed Mr Prabowo on top, with 34 per cent support.

Mr Prabowo, 72, comes from an elite family and commands a huge following, despite allegations of human rights violations over the kidnapping of democracy activists during turmoil in the late 1990s. He has denied wrongdoing.

In previous elections, he forged alliances with conservative Islamic groups and political parties criticised for stoking communal tensions and creating rifts in the secular, pluralistic country.

After the 2019 election, Mr Widodo appointed Mr Prabowo Defence Minister, a move that analysts say helped heal divisions.

Mr Widodo has tacitly backed Mr Prabowo

.

Mr Prabowo chairs the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) party, which endorsed him as its presidential candidate in 2022.

His potential running mates:

Gibran Rakabuming Raka

The President’s eldest son has served as Surakarta mayor since 2020, a position once held by his father.

Speculation has been rife that Mr Gibran, 36, would partner with Mr Prabowo after the

Constitutional Court ruled a minimum age requirement

of 40 for candidates need not apply in all cases.

However, outrage over that ruling could lead Mr Prabowo to pick another candidate.

Erick Thohir

A businessman-turned-politician who once owned Italian football giant Inter Milan, Mr Erick, 53, heads Indonesia’s football association and serves as State Owned Enterprises Minister.

He is among Mr Widodo’s closest allies and has overseen consolidation of state firms, pushing for more public listings to improve governance.

Khofifah Indar Parawansa

One of Indonesia’s most prominent female politicians, the popular 58-year-old East Java governor has been courted by all three presidential candidates.

Ms Khofifah previously served as women’s empowerment minister and social affairs minister and has strong connections to grassroots movements and the women’s wing of Nahdlatul Ulama, one of Indonesia’s biggest Islamic organisations.

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Ganjar Pranowo

The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle has pinned its hopes on Mr Ganjar, a former governor of Central Java, one of the country’s most populous provinces. He was second in the latest poll on the presidency, with 30.4 per cent support.

Like Mr Widodo, who comes from humble beginnings, Mr Ganjar, a former lawmaker, has gained huge support from ordinary Indonesians as a leader from outside the political and military elite.

Mr Ganjar, 54, who has also received backing from Mr Widodo, hopes his popularity on social media and with young voters will bring him victory.

Mr Ganjar topped opinion polls for months until he backed a call to stop Israel taking part in the Under-20 soccer World Cup, for which Indonesia was subsequently dropped as host.

His running mate:

Mahfud MD

Indonesia’s widely respected Coordinating Security Minister brings integrity to the Ganjar ticket and the possibility of crucial votes from the influential Nahdlatul Ulama.

Mr Mahfud MD, whose real name is Mohammad Mahfud Mahmodin, is a former Constitutional Court judge who has taken a stand against graft, including within security agencies, and was outspoken over high-profile police corruption cases and attempts to change the Constitution to extend presidential terms.

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Anies Baswedan

Despite his huge popularity from 2017 to 2022 as governor of Jakarta – a position once held by Mr Widodo and considered a springboard to the presidency – academic and politician Anies has trailed in opinion polls in recent months.

Dr Anies, 54, was praised for his Covid-19 response, but criticised for his handling of recurrent flooding in the sprawling, congested capital.

He is not a member of a political party but is backed by three parties, including a secular party in the ruling coalition and the conservative Islamic Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

His rise in 2017 was controversial as he accepted the endorsement of hardline Islamist groups that had agitated against his opponent and then Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama – an ethnic Chinese Christian – who was later jailed for insulting Islam.

Dr Anies, who espouses moderate Islam, was accused of doing little to mend widening religious and communal rifts, which he has refuted.

His running mate:

Muhaimin Iskandar

Better known as Cak Imin, the 57-year-old is head of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and has served as deputy Speaker of the People’s Representative Council since 2019, and labour minister from 2009 to 2014.

He is a relative of Dr Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus Dur, a well-respected former president and religious leader. He has strong networks within the Nahdlatul Ulama and is expected to draw votes to the Anies ticket from his base in East Java. REUTERS