In a break from the tradition of courtesy and respect, presidential candidates Anies Baswedan and Prabowo Subianto did not shake hands on Sunday night after spending about three hours in a heated debate that saw the frontrunner Prabowo defending his programs as defense minister.

Under the public gaze, all presidential candidates were greeted by their supporters on stage after the third presidential debate on defense and foreign affairs ended.

Prabowo briefly shook hands with presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo. Ganjar then proceeded to turn to Anies and shook his hand. However, Anies and Prabowo made no attempt to approach one another. 

Instead, the defense minister, who had been criticized by his rivals for his purchase of used weapons systems and lack of attention to Indonesian soldiers’ salaries, moved to the right to greet the chairmen of the political parties that are backing his candidacy. Meanwhile, Anies remained on the left-hand side of the stage with his supporters and family. Prabowo then returned to the stage with his supporters, but only after Anies had left.

Read also: Watch: Live Blog: 2024 Election Debate Round 3

In a post-debate press conference, Anies clarified that he had looked for Prabowo but could not find him.

"After the debate was over, I looked for [Prabowo], but he was gone. So I did not know where to shake hands," Anies told reporters in a press briefing after the debate.

Prabowo, on the contrary, said Anies did not approach him.

"[Anies] did not come to me. I am older than him and I am senior to him," Prabowo said as he left the press conference area.

During the debate, Anies and Prabowo had several clashes on various issues, including defense and a renewed round of the mudslinging on ethics that had begun in the first debate. Anies, who had earlier questioned Prabowo about his ethics for his controversial appointment of Gibran Rakabuming Raka as his running mate, questioned the ethics implemented in the development of defense policy, particularly highlighting military technology company PT Teknologi Militer Indonesia, with which, Anies alleged, Prabowo is involved.

Prabowo rejected Anies’ claims, saying that they were misleading and based on incorrect information.

"I have the right to express my opinion. I think you are not entitled to talk about ethics because you gave a bad example of ethics," Prabowo said.

Read also: Prabowo in hot water for mocking Anies at Gerindra gathering

Prabowo then invited Anies to discuss Teknologi Militer Indonesia and the other defense and security issues somewhere other than on the debate stage. Prabowo said defense matters were confidential because they concerned state security.

He added that candidates should not mislead the people because of personal ambition, in an apparent attack on Anies, alluding to the fact that the former Jakarta governor had been actively seeking political support for his presidential run after he finished his tenure in 2022.

In the first presidential debate, Anies had questioned how Prabowo felt about picking Gibran, the eldest son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, as his running mate. Gibran’s appointment was controversial, facilitated as it was by a ruling by the Constitutional Court, at the time led by his uncle Anwar Usman, that relaxed the requirements for candidates running for the presidency.

Prior to the ruling, which amended the 2017 Elections Law, a presidential or vice presidential candidate had to be aged 40 or above, the ruling waived the age restriction, provided the candidate was serving or previously served as an elected regional head.

Gibran is only 36 years old but is the incumbent mayor of Surakarta, the hometown of the President’s family, in Central Java, and he thus became eligible to run as Prabowo’s vice presidential candidate.

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