Indonesia’s outgoing leader on Monday came within a whisker of telling retired Indonesian Army general Prabowo Subianto to admit defeat so that the country’s most bitterly fought leadership contest could be resolved.
Prabowo has almost certainly lost the July 9 election, but on Sunday alleged inconsistencies and demanded that Indonesia’s Elections Commission (KPU) investigate charges of vote-cheating before he would accept its result. The commission was due to announce the result yesterday or today.
“Admitting defeat is noble,” Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters in a clear reference to Prabowo.
Photo: AFP
A protracted wrangle over the election outcome could undermine confidence in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, which has seen strong investment in recent years.
Private tallies of the 130 million votes show Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo won by about 5 percentage points over Prabowo, who has spent the last 10 years preparing for his presidential bid.
Prabowo’s recalcitrance has led to fears his supporters might turn violent, while some have threatened to rally outside the Elections Commission office in central Jakarta ahead of the official result, which under law must be declared by today.
The national police and military have deployed nearly 300,000 personnel across the vast archipelago of 240 million people. Security has also been beefed up around the KPU office, but there has been no word of any violence.
“We don’t anticipate the KPU to be a hotspot for violence,” Indonesian national police spokesperson Boy Rafli Amar told reporters. “At the same time, we ask the public not to assemble there, so that the KPU officials can continue their work in a conducive atmosphere.”
Candidates can lodge complaints with the nation’s Constitutional Court, as has been done by the losers in the previous two presidential elections. The court has to return a verdict on any challenge within two weeks. The verdict cannot be appealed.
“If there is someone who does not accept the official result, I would advise them to peacefully go the constitutional route,” said Yudhoyono, who hosted both candidates for dinner at the presidential palace on Sunday night.
KPU officials said reports of irregularities have been investigated as recommended by the election watchdog. They said the number of disputed votes numbered in the thousands.
Analysts estimate that a Prabowo victory would need a reversal of up to 7 million votes.
As it has become increasingly clear that Prabowo has lost, signs have grown that key supporters may be ready to leave his “permanent coalition” of parties, or join the other side.
“The election has been completed and my job is complete. I’ve failed the Prabowo ... ticket,” Mohammad Mahfud MD, a widely respected former chief of the Constitutional Court and head of Prabowo’s campaign team told reporters.
Members of the biggest party backing Prabowo, Golkar, also appear to be turning against their own leader, Aburizal Bakrie, who is a staunch supporter of Prabowo.
Bakrie, who heads a prominent, debt-laden conglomerate, has been a key Prabowo ally.
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
RSS