As the official campaign period for the regional head elections commenced on Wednesday, tensions between competing factions were apparent, with outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the center of much of the contention.

A KPK spokesman says that the antigraft body has completed its review of Kaesang's US trip by private jet and is finalizing the report on its results for publicizing sometime "this week".

Kaesang Pangarep, the chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) and the youngest son of outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, was seen on Tuesday wearing a vest emblazoned with the slogan “Putra Mulyono” (Son of Mulyono) in Banten, provoking a fresh round of criticism of the First Family among people online.

Since winning a landslide victory in February’s presidential election, Gerindra Party patron Prabowo has moved fast to reach out to rivals, including the PDI-P, to bring more parties into his governing coalition.

The Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) has identified five provinces highly vulnerable to electoral fraud, as the election watchdog looks to step up its oversight work to ensure that the November regional polls run well.

Among the 13 envoy candidates skipped by the House of Representatives were ambassador nominees to the US, China, Russia, Malaysia, Germany and the United Nations – arguably some of the country’s most prestigious diplomatic posts. 

The race for the biggest single-day local elections officially began across the country this week, with hundreds of candidates hitting the campaign trail on Wednesday, two months before the voting day in November.

General Elections Commission (KPU) offices across the country announced on Sunday the final names on the ballots for the regional head elections, marking the start of the November race.

Members of the coalition of political parties supporting president-elect Prabowo Subianto appear to have thrown their weight behind his plan to form an enlarged cabinet consisting of politically aligned professionals at the start of his presidency, as the parties put forward their finest talent as potential ministers.

The newly passed Immigration Law revision has removed a travel ban provision that was ruled unconstitutional for restricting freedom of movement, particularly for persons of interest who had not been declared formal suspects of an open investigation, but some observers say this could make it easier for potential suspects to evade the law.

The former Jakarta governor may be out of the race, the latest LSI survey indicates that he may still wield some influence among his supporters, who are seen to be up for grabs by leading contenders Ridwan and Pramono.

In the case of sole candidate failing to win more than 50 percent of votes, the election will be repeated in 2025, with stages kick off after the Constitutional Court finishes hearing all disputes on the regional election results.

A planned meeting between Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and president-elect Prabowo Subianto is expected to determine whether the PDI-P will play a role in the incoming presidential administration of the Gerindra Party chairman.

The Indonesian Air Force placed an order for four Airbus H145 light helicopters during the Bali International Airshow in Badung, Bali, on Wednesday as part of an effort to modernize its flight training program.

The Bali International Airshow served as the revival of Indonesian aerospace sector, which is an important sector for the vast country's future, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Wednesday.

The fledgling party, established in 2021, declared its support for the incoming administration during a massive rally on Wednesday, which Prabowo addressed in a video message that conveyed his continuing efforts in supporting the welfare of all workers.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's youngest son Kaesang Pangarep's visit to the antigraft body to clarify his private jet trip to the United States should not stop the graft busters from probing him on the allegations of receiving unlawful gifts, antigraft activists urge.

The apparent attempts by political parties to use the popularity of celebrities to win votes in the upcoming regional head elections is widely seen as evidence of their failure to find competitive and reliable candidates, an issue which will eventually harm democracy and jeopardize the public’s interests, an analyst has claimed.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) opened on Tuesday the application for local poll administrators (KPPS) for the November regional head elections, prioritizing participants under 55 years of age without underlying health conditions to avoid fatalities and “work accidents”.

The House of Representatives is set to pass on Thursday a series of legislations that will allow president-elect Prabowo Subianto to form a bigger cabinet and appoint more members to a presidential advisory board once he takes office.

The Gerindra Party has signaled that its chairman, president-elect Prabowo Subianto, may install politically aligned professionals in his cabinet in an effort to ensure an effective government when he takes office next month.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's youngest son and Indonesia Solidarity Party (PSI) chairman Kaesang Pangarep went to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) building in Jakarta on Tuesday to clarify his use of a private jet during a recent overseas trip.

Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto plans to announce his cabinet on the day of his inauguration as Indonesia’s next president next month, says a senior politician of his party.

Electoral rivalries have carried over into a takeover scandal at the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) resulting in the ouster of chairman Arsjad Rasjid, who supported a losing presidential candidate in February’s general election.

The race to become Indonesia’s next foreign policy chief has intensified after Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi announced that she would be taking on a new job outside of government once her term ends next month.

The outgoing foreign minister will again make history when she takes up her new post as the UN chief's special envoy on water on Nov. 1, when she becomes the first Indonesian special envoy and the first individual to hold the new post.

One month before the end of his decade-long presidency, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has warned his ministers not to issue extreme policies and to uphold stability to facilitate the transition of power.

The rerun elections slated for 2025 will follow the same procedure as the November simultaneous regional elections, which started with candidate registration and followed by a campaign period for candidates.

With former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan out of the running for the city’s gubernatorial election, the remaining hopefuls are courting his supporters, who make up a large share of Jakarta’s voters.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) suspects certain powers took advantage of the innocence of the party's grassroots supporters and manipulated them into signing a petition to challenge the party structure, said central board member Ronny Talapessy in charge of legal affairs.