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Prabowo leads 2024 electability survey
While the next race for the Indonesian presidency is still four years away, a recent electability survey has found that the incumbent defense minister currently leads the polls.
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Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto waves on the steps of Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Oct. 23, 2019, when President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (not pictured) unveiled his new Cabinet for his second and final term in office. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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efense Minister Prabowo Subianto is considered the people’s top pick for the 2024 election, according to a recent survey by pollster Populi Center.
The nationwide survey, conducted from Oct. 21 to 30, found that 1,000 respondents in 100 regencies and municipalities gave the Gerindra Party chairman and erstwhile rival of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo an electability rating of 18.3 percent, the highest among all potential candidates surveyed.
“Prabowo Subianto is the figure most people hope will run for president in 2024,” said Populi Center researcher Nurul Fatin Afifah in a statement on Monday, as quoted by kompas.com.
Other public officials with high electability ratings include Central Java Governor and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Ganjar Pranowo (9.9 percent) and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan (9.5 percent), while West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil lagged behind with 5.8 percent.
The survey also showed that prominent public figures also had a slim chance in running, including Muslim preacher Abdul Somad with 6.2 percent. Meanwhile, former Jakarta deputy governor and Prabowo’s 2019 running mate Sandiaga Uno had a rating of 4.8 percent.
Prabowo has gained a somewhat favorable reputation in recent surveys, despite the various controversies surrounding his appointment to President Jokowi’s second-term Cabinet.
Read also: Prabowo has political capital to run in 2024 presidential race, but 'not enough to win it'
In an earlier survey by Indo Barometer from Oct. 10 to 17, Prabowo also topped the list of five best-performing Cabinet members with an approval rating of 29.3 percent. The survey's respondents praised the former Army general for his strong leadership, uncompromising approach to decision-making and ministerial policies.
An even earlier Indo Barometer survey from Jan. 9 to 15 found that Prabowo numbered among the most well-known Cabinet members. The pollster attributed his high name recognition to the fact that Prabowo was a two-time presidential candidate.
In a February political survey, Indo Barometer predicted that Prabowo would square off against former ally Anies in the 2024 presidential election, with the two likely representing two competing political alliances, led respectively by the PDI-P and the NasDem Party.
Populi Center also surveyed political parties and found that six had ratings just above the 4 percent electoral threshold: the PDI-P with 18.4 percent, Golkar with 8.2 percent, Gerindra with 7.8 percent, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) with 6.8 percent, and the Democratic Party and the National Awakening Party (PKB) with 6.2 percent each. (rfa)
