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full screen Indonesia’s former defense minister Prabowo Subianto has officially secured the presidency already in the country’s first round of elections held on February 14. Photo: Achmad Ibrahim/AP/TT
Now it’s official: Indonesia’s presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has already been elected president in the first round of elections.
The Electoral Commission has determined that he received 58.6 percent of the votes in the election just over a month ago.
Prabowo Subianto and vice-presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka declared themselves the victors soon after the election held on February 14 when unofficial election results showed a majority victory.
Formally, he had not secured the presidency of one of the world’s most populous democracies until the electoral commission confirmed the results.
– The decision applies as of March 20, said commission chairman Hasyim Asy’ari after it was established that the future president received 96 million votes. 164 million Indonesians voted on election day. But the 72-year-old Prabowo Subianto, who has tried to become president twice before, will only receive presidential power in October.
Vice President-to-be Gibran Rakabuming Raka is the eldest son of outgoing President Joko Widodo.