Jakarta (Reuters) —
Defense Minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto confirmed his lead in a new poll after the candidates took part in a televised debate ahead of the February 14 election.
An opinion poll conducted by Indonesian Political Indicators on December 23-24 and the results released on Tuesday (26/12) showed that Prabowo, who was running alongside President Joko Widodo’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, received 46.7 percent of the vote.
The survey institute placed former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo as the closest rival, with 24.5 percent of the vote, while former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan received support from 21 percent of respondents surveyed.
A poll conducted by Kompas this month showed that Prabowo received 39.3 percent of the vote and placed Anies as his closest opponent with 16.7 percent, followed by Ganjar with 15.3 percent.
The Indicator Survey was conducted following a televised debate between the presidential candidates on December 12 and the vice presidential candidates on December 22.
Indonesia’s constitutional court decision last October cleared the way for Gibran to run for election, raising widespread concerns about deepening dynastic politics in Indonesia.
In a televised debate, Gibran defended his father’s economic agenda, especially the construction of a new capital.
Three more debates are expected to take place before the election. (ab/ka)