It’s still early in the two-way race for Central Java governor, but signs show a fierce competition may emerge between a former military chief on the ticket of the largest party in the province and a strongly backed former provincial police chief who has been running a campaign riding on the popularity of outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

The children of former president Soeharto have offered an apology for his past mistakes, in a gesture made after a controversial People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) decision to remove his name from a decree on corruption, a decision that triggered concerns over attempts to absolve the authoritarian leader of past crimes.

The People's Consultative Assembly's (MPR) move to remove former president Soeharto's name from a decree on corruption eradication is criticized as an insult to human rights victims and their families' search for justice. 

Abdul Halim Iskandar's residence was investigated for alleged irregularities in the management of grant funds for community groups from East Java's provincial budget in 2019-2022.

The scandal surrounding vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka over his alleged ownership of a social media account that launched a slanderous attack against president-elect Prabowo Subianto in the past, has the potential to drive a wedge between the incoming leader and Gibran’s father, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

National politics is on tenterhooks as executives from both the PDI-P and Gerindra have hinted this week at an imminent meeting between their party chairs, while disclosing no details about a potential date.

Allowing a blank box on the ballots of all regional elections, including those with multiple candidate pairs, will allow voters to exercise political protest and create healthier competitions in regions, plaintiffs have said in the preliminary hearing for their petitions.

In 2021, the coordinating maritime affairs and investment minister reported two activists for defamation after they made comments in a YouTube video about his alleged involvement in extractive mining in Papua and called the senior minister “lord”.

Hasan was quoted by Kompas.com saying that the decision was part of a greater scheme to limit access provided to journalists by Prabowo and that the president-elect would only make official statements when necessary.

President-elect Prabowo Subianto has addressed speculation that he is planning to meet with Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri to discuss the party’s position with regard to his incoming administration, saying he hopes such a meeting will be held soon.

Nico Afinta, a two-star police general with a shady past, has been appointed as the law ministry's secretary-general, becoming the latest active police officer to be installed in a civil service post this year.

The outgoing President is rumored to be considering taking a position on the Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres), following the House of Representatives' swift revision of a law regulating the body last week.

Dozens of lawmakers with family ties to incumbent politicians and public officials and hundreds of reelected incumbents of "poorly-performing" House of Representatives members may hinder the legislative body's performance in the next five years, according to findings by the Indonesian Parliament Watch (Formappi).

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.