'Prabowo's strong personality key factor in Pilpres 2024'

The Indonesian Presidential Election (Pilpres) 2024's unofficial vote count indicated a significant lead for the candidate pair Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka over their competitors.

Although the official results, expected to be released by the Indonesian General Election Commission (KPU), will only be known within a month, estimations made by several registered survey institutions provide a relatively accurate portrayal of the people's votes in the world's third-largest democracy.

Until 12pm yesterday, the Prabowo and Gibran pair received between 57 to 59 per cent of the votes from around 98 per cent of the total votes.

The other two pairs, Anies Rasyid Baswedan (presidential candidate)-Muhaimin Iskandar (vice presidential candidate), received unofficial votes of 26 per cent, while the third pair, Ganjar Pranowo (presidential candidate) and Mahfud Md (presidential candidate), received only 16 per cent.

Despite various scandals and the release of the "Dirty Vote" documentary at the last moments of the campaign, the momentum of the Prabowo and Gibran pair could not be stopped.

Uni Lubis, the Chief Editor of IDN Times, said that Prabowo's victory was widely anticipated and indeed, he had far outperformed his rivals.

According to her, based on several surveys conducted during the General Elections (Pemilu) and the Pilpres 2024, the assessment made in choosing leaders was directed towards those who have good ideas, vision, and mission, as well as good integrity, and most importantly, those who can lead Indonesia.

Prabowo's character is distinct from President Joko Widodo or Jokowi, but one advantage that the people may see is his strong personality.

As a former 3-star General of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), Prabowo possesses leadership qualities that have been honed since his military service, setting him apart from other presidential candidates.

Uni clarified that perhaps voters see Prabowo as a strong leader who can navigate Indonesia through current geopolitical conflicts.

Several previous presidents of the country also had strong personalities and were former military leaders like Soeharto and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Therefore, she said, voters' considerations may lean towards a leader who appears bold, compared to Jokowi from among ordinary people.

Prabowo, who is also the Defence Minister, is seen to have competence and experience as a leader, and he is also a successful businessman despite being 73 years old.

Likewise, the second factor contributing to the victory of the Prabowo-Gibran pair is TikTok.

His campaign team succeeded in garnering significant support among young people by fully utilizing TikTok.

National Campaign Team (TKN) Prabowo-Gibran Deputy Chairman Budiman Sudjatmiko stated that the great allies who won the pair in Central Java and Bali, strongholds of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP).

The great allies referred to by Budiman at a celebration event at Istora Senayan, Gelora Bung Karno Complex (GBK), Central Jakarta on Wednesday were Jokowi.

Since the campaign, the 'Jokowi Effect' has been mentioned, and Jokowi's name appeared many times on the X app throughout the quick count, proving his significant influence on the Indonesian people.

X app user, @stroberiys for example, said that the PDIP's name became big because of Jokowi and informed not to underestimate those who have contributed to the party.

For @langitlautan, of the three pairs competing in the Pilpres, none of them have a realistic plan.

He explained that the support for team 02, namely Prabowo-Gibran, is only because of Jokowi.

This Pilpres battle is huge, but in the scenario that unfolds, Jokowi does not support his party's candidate from the PDIP, Ganjar, but he decides to support Prabowo, who is paired with his son, Gibran.

Jokowi is from PDIP and is still a member of the party.

With two terms as President, he surely knows the winning strategy of PDIP, including how to defeat it.