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Saturday April 27, 2024

Indonesia set to open registration for presidential hopefuls

By AFP
October 19, 2023
Defence minister Prabowo Subianto. Asia Times
Defence minister Prabowo Subianto. Asia Times 

JAKARTA: Indonesia will open registration for presidential candidates running in the 2024 general election on Thursday, with the nation´s current defence minister and two former governors vying to succeed Joko Widodo.

More than 204 million eligible voters are expected to cast their ballot on February 14, 2024, to elect the next president of Southeast Asia´s largest economy. The winner will take over from Widodo after two terms in office, since his first election in 2014.

Indonesians will also vote for lawmakers and regional leaders on the same day. Several prominent political names have emerged as strong presidential contenders. Former general and current defence minister Prabowo Subianto has accepted the nomination from his political party, Gerindra.

It will be his third time running for president, after Subianto lost to Widodo in the last two elections. Widodo´s party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), has selected Ganjar Pranowo, the former governor of Central Java, as its presidential contender.