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How Prabowo Will Manage His Predecessor and His History as President of Indonesia

President-elect Prabowo Subianto will likely further degrade Indonesia’s democracy.

<p>Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto walks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo as they leave the parliament building after the annual State of the Nation Address, ahead of the country&#8217;s Independence Day, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 16, 2024.</p>
Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto walks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo as they leave the parliament building after the annual State of the Nation Address, ahead of the country’s Independence Day, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 16, 2024. Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Pool via Reuters

By experts and staff

Published

Experts

Longtime politician and disgraced former general Prabowo Subianto will be inaugurated as Indonesia’s president on October 20, 2024. Prabowo’s elevation to Indonesia’s highest office seemed unimaginable only a few years ago, as he had already run for president and lost several times before. His strongman style, reminiscent of the Suharto era—a period still feared by many Indonesians—and his highly checkered human rights, allegedly including an attempted coup, seemed to further reduce his chances.

Yet, Prabowo will soon take charge of the most powerful country in Southeast Asia, one increasingly wielding influence on the global stage. Unlike his predecessor Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, Prabowo plans to make foreign policy a centerpiece of his presidency, along with a renewed focus on investment and social welfare. At the same time, it seems likely that Prabowo will work with Jokowi, a onetime reformer who now disdains the rule of law like Prabowo, to further undermine rights and democratic institutions in Indonesia. For more on how Prabowo will likely act as president, see my new World Politics Review article.