Indonesia Election 2024: As Jokowi Ends His Term, What Issues Do Three Presidential Hopefuls face?

Picture: Reuters

In an article by South China Morning Post, Amy Sood analyzes the potential issues facing the three tickets (Ganjar Pranowo and Mohammad Mahfud, Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and Anies Baswedan and Muhaimin Iskandar) in their respective campaigns leading up to the 2024 presidential election, and raising key questions on the state of Jokowi’s policies and overall political legacy.

The three tickets have all filed their nomination papers for the February 14 polls, and unveiled their policy platforms.

But open elections are very rarely focused solely on the candidates and their policies. Campaigns often tend to be dominated by major issues of public concern that sometimes the political players hope to skirt around during the hustings.

Political observers in Indonesia have signaled that the subject of political dynasties – and their merit or lack thereof – will inevitably be front and center of the campaign.

The incumbent President Joko Widodo, a former furniture salesman, was the country’s first leader to not come from an established political or military background. Now, however, with Widodo’s son Gibran running as Prabowo’s vice-presidential candidate, there has been rising a perception that Widodo is eyeing the type of political dynasty all too familiar in Southeast Asia’s various semi-autocratic nations.