More than 200 million voters cast their ballots to elect a new president.

PM Modi Congratulates President Subianto: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated the people of Indonesia on the successful Presidential elections and the newly-elected President Prabowo Subianto.

Prime Minister Modi posted on X: “Congratulations to the people of Indonesia on the successful Presidential elections and Prabowo Subianto on the lead. Look forward to working with the new Presidency to further strengthen Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Indonesia.”

Congratulations to the people of Indonesia on the successful Presidential elections and @prabowo on the lead. Look forward to working with the new Presidency to further strengthen Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Indonesia.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 18, 2024

General elections were held in Indonesia on 14 February to elect the President, Vice President, and the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) which consists of the House of Representatives (DPR), the Regional Representative Council (DPD), and members of local legislative bodies at the provincial and city/regency level.

Incumbent President Joko Widodo was ineligible to run for a third term due to limitations established by the Indonesian constitution.

More than 200 million voters cast their ballots to elect a new president as the country aims to enter a new phase in politics after President Joko Widodo has completed his maximum term as president.

The people of Indonesia elected not only a new president and vice president but also parliamentary and local representatives in the world’s largest single-day election.

More than 204 million of Indonesia’s 270 million people were registered to vote. There are 18 national political parties across Indonesia, with 575 parliamentary seats up for grabs. The incumbent Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, popularly known as ‘Jokowi’, has completed the maximum two terms in office, so this year’s election will mark the first change in leadership in 10 years.

Prabowo Subianto, 72, is a former military strongman and Indonesia’s former defence minister. He lost to Jokowi in 2014 and 2019.

Prabowo is the head of Gerindra, a nationalist, right-wing populist political party, and has the backing of a coalition of other parties including Golkar and the National Mandate Party (PAN).

Prabowo said that he plans to construct three million new homes in rural, coastal, and urban areas and launch a free lunch programme for schoolchildren in a policy designed to combat stunting.

The main concern of the people of Indonesia is the cost of living and being able to provide for themselves and their families.

Economic growth slowed to 5.05 per cent in 2023 in comparison to 5.3 per cent in 2022, mostly as a result of weak exports and lower commodity prices.