WNAM MONITORING: More than 200 million voters are expected to head to the polls Wednesday to choose Indonesia’s next leader. The world’s third-largest democracy and fourth-largest population, home to more than 275 million people will elect a new President and Vice President from three pairs of contenders. With a majority of the electorate under 40 years of age, the candidates are all vying for young voters to claim victory.
Seventy-five percent of Indonesia’s population (about 205 million people) is expected to vote Wednesday, according to the election commission, with 106 million of those expected voters under age 40 or 52% of anticipated voters.
All three candidates in this election are over the age of 50. Ganjar Pranowo, the former governor of Central Java and the ruling party’s nominee, is 55, and Anies Baswedan, former governor of Jakarta, is 54. Both have selected vice presidential candidates who are their contemporaries in age, even slightly older.
- Anies Baswedan, who is 54 (running mate: Muhaimin Iskandar, 57), has been using TikTok live streams to interact with potential voters. He recently went live to reaffirm his stances on some issues, such as equal access to education and credit, and inclusivity in policymaking, after a February 4 debate.
- Ganjar Pranowo, who is 55 (running mate: former security minister Mahfud MD, 66), has the most TikTok followers out of all candidates. He has a ” Gen Z ” menu on his official campaign website, which lists his engagement with young people and youth-focused programs — including free and equal internet access or all students and potentially small businesses to enable entry into online marketplaces.
- Prabowo Subianto, 72, is leading in the polls and chose running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, who is the most followed vice presidential candidate on social media. Subianto’s pairing with Raka, who is also the son of Subianto’s former election rival and current president.
