Indonesia's Prabowo to make 3rd bid for presidency

JAKARTA • Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, 70, a former special forces general, yesterday accepted his party's nomination to run in the 2024 presidential election.

At the national leadership meeting of his Gerindra party, Mr Prabowo, one of Indonesia's most divisive politicians, said he would make a third bid for the top job after receiving widespread support from party members.

"I hereby declare with full responsibility, I accept your request to be nominated as the presidential candidate for the Republic of Indonesia," he told thousands of party members.

Mr Prabowo, the former son-in-law of late strongman ruler Suharto, was a rising star in the military until his dismissal in the late 1990s amid allegations of rights violations related to the kidnapping of student activists. The allegations were never proven and he has always denied involvement.

In the middle of his acceptance speech, Mr Prabowo played a film clip that he said was about colonial times, including graphic scenes of executions of Indonesians. He said he wanted to remind party members that he would fight for the ideals of Indonesia's national founders.

With incumbent President Joko Widodo constitutionally barred from seeking a third term, speculation is rife about who might next lead South-east Asia's largest economy.

Polling in recent months has shown that Mr Prabowo is among the top three potential candidates, alongside Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo, and the governor of the capital Jakarta, Mr Anies Baswedan.

Some commentators have suggested that after losing to Mr Widodo in both the 2014 and 2019 elections, Mr Prabowo should step aside.

REUTERS