Protesters in Indonesia took to the streets to demand a halt to the ascent of former army general Prabowo Subianto to presidential office. Subianto, who has long been dogged by allegations of human rights abuse, secured victory in the February 14, 2024, elections amid swirling allegations of electoral fraud.
The former Minister of Defense under outgoing President Widodo claimed victory with a substantial margin of 58 percent of the votes on February 16. However, the two other leading candidates, Ganjar Pranowo and Anies Basweden, have refused to concede and urged their supporters to wait for the final count, while simultaneously accusing Subianto of electoral fraud.
Further dampening the legitimacy of Subianto’s victory were nationwide protests, with demonstraters marching in cities across the country to voice their frustration over the election outcome. The protests focused particularly on the General Elections Commission, voicing their outrage at Subianto’s impending presidency while demanding justice for the victims of atrocities he allegedly committed.
Subianto, the former son-in-law of authoritarian leader Suharto and a long-term commander in the army’s special forces, Kopassus, has a checkered past. The general was dishonorably discharged after Kopassus soldiers kidnapped and tortured political activists in 1988. Following this disgrace, Subianto entered voluntary exile in Jordan. Of the 22 kidnapped individuals, 13 are still missing, although Subianto denies these allegations.
In addition to these serious abductions, Subianto has been accused of involvement in human rights abuses in Papua and Timor-Leste, including a horrific 1983 massacre that resulted in hundreds of fatalities. The ex-general was at point banned from the United States over his alleged violations.
Despite these accusations, Subianto was not deterred in his attempts to gain control of the Indonesian presidency. This marked his third attempt, with the Constitutional Court of Indonesia rejecting his previous two bids. Both times, the court dismissed Subianto’s claims of widespread fraud as groundless.
With widespread discontent throughout Indonesia over this election’s outcome, it appears that Subianto’s upcoming tenure as president begins under a serious cloud of uncertainty. [Full Coverage]