Indonesia swears in Prabowo Subianto as the country’s eighth president

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – Prabowo Subianto was inaugurated Sunday as the eighth president of the world’s most Muslim-majority country, completing his journey from a former accused of rights abuses during the dark days of Indonesia’s military dictatorship to the presidential palace. .

The former defense minister, who would have turned 73 on Thursday, was cheered on by thousands of cheering supporters after swearing on the Quran, Islam’s holy book, in front of lawmakers and foreign dignitaries. Banners and billboards welcoming the new president lined the streets of the capital, Jakarta, where tens of thousands gathered for celebrations that included speeches and songs on the city’s main thoroughfare.

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Subianto has been a long-time rival of popular President Joko Widodo, who ran against him for the presidency twice and refused to accept defeat both times, in 2014 and 2019.

But Widodo appointed Subianto as defense chief after his re-election, paving the way for unity despite their political parties. During the campaign, Subianto ran as the successor to the popular outgoing president, vowing to continue signature policies such as a multi-billion dollar new capital construction and restrictions on raw material exports aimed at boosting domestic industry.

Backed by Widodo, Subianto won a landslide victory in February’s direct presidential election with promises of policy continuity.

Subianto was sworn in with his new vice president, Surakarta, 37, former Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka. He chose Raka, Widodo’s son, as his boss, with Widodo choosing Subianto over his former party’s candidate. The former rivals became silent allies, although Indonesian presidents generally do not promote candidates.

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But how he will govern Southeast Asia’s biggest economy _ where about 90% of Indonesia’s 282 million people are Muslim _ remains uncertain after a campaign in which he made few promises without continuing with the popular former president.

Subianto, who comes from one of the country’s wealthiest families, is a stark contrast to Widodo, Indonesia’s first president from outside the political and military elite who came from a humble background and as president often met working class crowds.

Subianto was a special forces commander until he was expelled from the force in 1998 due to allegations that he participated in the kidnapping and torture of activists and other abuses. He did not face trial and went into exile in Jordan in 1998, although several of his subordinates were tried and convicted.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein was expected to attend Sunday’s ceremony, but withdrew at the last minute due to tensions in the Middle East, instead deciding to send Foreign Minister Nancy Namrouqa as his special envoy. Subianto and Abdullah met in person in June for talks in Amman on helping people affected by the war in Gaza.

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Subianto, who has never held elected office, will lead a large, diverse island nation with a booming economy amid strong global demand for its natural resources. But he will have to deal with global economic pressures and regional tensions in Asia, where territorial disputes and the United States-China rivalry are heating up.

Leaders and senior officials from more than 30 countries flew in to attend the event, including Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and leaders of Southeast Asian countries. US President Joe Biden sent Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the United Nations. Adm. Samuel Paparo, the US Commander of the Indo-Pacific Command, was also among the American delegation.

Soldiers and police, along with armored vehicles, fire trucks and ambulances, were deployed in the capital, and major roads were closed to secure the swearing-in.

The election result sealed a long-awaited comeback for Subianto, who had been banned for years from traveling to the United States and Australia.

He vowed to continue Widodo’s efforts to modernize things, which increased the growth of Indonesia’s economy by building infrastructure and using the country’s abundant resources. The signature policy required nickel, a major Indonesian export and a key component of electric car batteries, to be processed in local factories rather than shipped raw.

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He also promised to move forward with Widodo’s most ambitious and controversial project: the construction of a new capital in Borneo, about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) from congested Jakarta.

Before the February presidential election, he also promised to provide free lunch and milk to 78.5 million students in more than 400,000 schools across the country, with the aim of reducing malnutrition and disability among children.

Indonesia is the epicenter of democracy in Southeast Asia, a diverse and economically vibrant region of authoritarian governments, police states and fledgling democracies. After decades of dictatorship under President Suharto, the country was wracked by political, ethnic and religious unrest in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since then, it has consolidated its democratic transition as the third largest democracy in the world, and is home to a rapidly growing middle class.

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Associated Press reporters Edna Tarigan and Andi Jatmiko contributed to this report.

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