Indonesian President Joko Widodo is expected to win a second term in the April 17 presidential election as he leads against rival Prabowo Subianto, according to the latest Roy Morgan opinion poll published on Friday.
Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, had the support of 58 percent of Indonesians, up 5 percentage points from the 2014 election, while backing for Subianto was down 5 points to 42 percent, a January survey of 1,039 electors showed.
Widodo leads in most areas, but especially in rural regions. He is in front in his home province of Central Java with 74.5 percent support and has strong endorsement in East Java, Bali, the northern provinces of Sumatra and on the island of Sulawesi. Backing for Subianto is concentrated in his home province of West Java and the capital Jakarta, where he leads with 57 percent, the poll shows.
The strong support for Widodo is hardly surprising as the country has been the second-best performing G20 economy, after China, for many years, with average growth of about 5 percent during his term, Roy Morgan Chief Executive Officer Michele Levine said in a statement.
“The strong performance of the Indonesian economy over the last five years, and the exceptional confidence expressed by everyday Indonesians over the last year are certainly strong pointers to the success of President Widodo’s political leadership heading toward the April presidential election,” Levine said.
Results of the poll also reveal that Widodo has greater support from female voters, with 61 percent support. Men favor Widodo as well, but by a narrower margin at 55 percent. A majority of all age groups back the president, with the highest approval coming from Indonesians aged 25 to 49.
Roy Morgan projects that Widodo’s party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle. would secure 40.5 percent of the vote in the legislative elections — held the same day as the presidential election — while Subianto’s Gerindra Party would grab 25 percent.
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