Indonesia opens campaign for February presidential election

Candidates officially launched their campaigns on Tuesday for Indonesia’s upcoming presidential election, setting the stage for a three-way competition. The contenders include a former special forces general who has faced defeat twice before and two former governors.
Ganjar Pranowo, the presidential candidate from the ruling party and former governor of Central Java, kicked off his campaign in Merauke, South Papua province. Meanwhile, his running mate, top security minister Mohammad Mahfud, began his tour in Sabang, Aceh province.
Anies Baswedan, the former head of an Islamic university and ex-governor of Jakarta, initiated his campaign in the national capital on Java island, while his running mate, Muhaimin Iskandar, chairman of the Islam-based National Awakening Party, campaigned in Mojokerto, East Java province.
Java, home to more than half of Indonesia’s 270 million people, is anticipated to be a crucial battleground in the election scheduled for 14 February.
While their competitors initiated their campaigns, the third candidate, Prabowo Subianto, focused on his responsibilities as defense minister on Tuesday, while his running mate, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, attended to his duties as the mayor of Surakarta city in Central Java. Both are set to commence their campaigns on Friday, according to Nusron Wahid, Subianto’s national campaign team spokesman.
Approximately 205 million Indonesians are eligible to vote in the 2024 presidential and legislative elections, making it the largest democracy in Southeast Asia. The presidential election will determine the successor to President Joko Widodo, who is in his second and final term. Opinion polls suggest a closely contested race between Subianto and Pranowo, with Baswedan consistently in third place.