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Prabowo maintains slim lead in new survey
Nearly 205 million voters, a third of them younger than 30, are eligible to vote in presidential and legislative elections on Feb. 14 in the world's third-largest democracy.
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President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo (left) chats with former general Prabowo Subianto (centre right) at a public restaurant in Jakarta on July 13, 2019, during their first meeting since the April 17 general election. (AFP/Ran Raphael)
Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto was top in a fourth opinion poll in the space of a week on Thursday, though only narrowly in front of the ruling party's Ganjar Pranowo ahead of the start of campaigning next month.
Nearly 205 million voters, a third of them younger than 30, are eligible to vote in presidential and legislative elections on Feb. 14 in the world's third-largest democracy.
Three candidates have registered to contest the election: Defence Minister Prabowo, 72, and former Central Java governor Ganjar and former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, both 54.
The Oct. 16-20 poll of 2,567 people by Indikator Politik Indonesia had Prabowo top on 37 percent, with 34.8 percent backing Ganjar and 22 percent supporting Anies. The survey had a 1.97 percent margin of error.
The outcome tracks most polls in recent months that show Ganjar and Defence Minister Prabowo neck-and-neck, with Anies a distant third.
The latest survey was conducted after a widely criticised court ruling on candidates' eligibility that effectively enabled Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the son of outgoing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, to join Prabowo as his running mate.
Some political analysts see that outcome, just days before registration for the election, as advantageous to Jokowi allowing him to lay the foundations of a political dynasty and retain influence after leaving office.
With 36-year-old Gibran on board, Prabowo could also tap into some of the president's huge support base, analysts say.
Jokowi, who is completing his second and final term, has said he has no involvement with presidential candidates.
Nearly 76 percent of those surveyed said Jokowi should not side with any particular candidate.
Indikator also gauged participants' opinions on dynasties and found nearly 48 percent of respondents saw them as "very worrying" or "worrying enough". The pollster said Gibran inclusion could therefore potentially cost Prabowo votes.
