Prabowo's coalition dominate Indonesian regional elections; Jakarta the exception

JAKARTA - Candidates backed by new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto look set to secure victories in key regional elections, with the exception of Jakarta, which analysts said should make it easier to implement his agenda and reinforce his political clout.

More than 200 million Indonesians voted on Wednesday for leaders in 37 provinces, 93 cities, and 415 districts. While the official results will be announced between Nov. 30 and Dec. 15, independent pollsters have released their election counts.

Candidates backed by Prabowo's broad coalition, some of whom were also endorsed by former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, won most key provinces, including Central Java, West Java and East Java, according to initial results from the pollsters.

"This is a triumph for Prabowo and also Jokowi, but with Jakarta, it's a failure," Yanuar Nugroho, visiting senior fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told Reuters. 

"The executors of all Prabowo's programs are these regional leaders," he said. 

Central Java, West Java, and East Java are seen as pivotal because they are the most populous provinces, while Jakarta has national significance as the capital and, as seen with Widodo, can be a stepping stone to run for the presidency.  

"The victory is important so that Prabowo's programmes could be well implemented and integrated," Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, a senior official at Prabowo's Gerindra party, told Reuters.      

In Jakarta, the candidates for governor and deputy governor backed by the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) had between 49.49% to 51.1% of votes, pollsters said, ahead of the ticket backed by a coalition of 13 government-aligned parties and an independent pairing. 

Candidates must secure an outright majority to win in Jakarta, or there will be a second round of voting.

Election analyst Titi Anggraini said the overall results would smooth the way for Prabowo to implement his own election pledges and give him room to start building a platform to run for re-election in 2029.

Yanuar also said the results will make it easier for Prabowo to implement his policies such as free meals for school children and others, poverty eradication and food self-sufficiency.

"Prabowo wants to consolidate his power so that there's no disruption towards his programmes," he said. 

Prabowo was sworn in as president last month, after a landslide election victory earlier this year. He has secured support from seven out of eight parties in the national parliament . REUTERS