Prabowo’s coalition set to sweep Indonesian regional polls, Jakarta leaning to opposition

Analysts say the unofficial results of Wednesday’s vote reflect the sweeping influence of Prabowo’s grand Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM) and provide the president with a smoother pathway in advancing his economic growth agenda over the next five years.

However, in the capital Jakarta, the country’s political and economic hub, opposition-backed candidate Pramono Anung has taken the lead in quick-count results from independent pollsters.

Pramono is supported by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the only major party that has not formally joined Prabowo’s coalition, which controls about 80 per cent of parliamentary seats.

“This was [potentially] a politically important win for the PDI-P because it took a real beating in the legislative elections,” said Ian Wilson, an Indonesian politics researcher at Murdoch University’s Indo-Pacific Research Centre in Perth.