Jakarta ( WNAM MONITORING): Dignitaries from 33 friendly countries witnessed the swearing-in of Indonesia’s eighth President, Prabowo Subianto, and 13th Vice President, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, on Sunday, replacing President Joko Widodo and Vice President Ma’ruf Amin.
Prabowo, 73, and Gibran, 37, took their oaths of office for the 2024-2029 leadership term at around 10:30 a.m. local time during an inauguration held at the Nusantara Building in the Senayan legislative complex here.
People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Ahmad Muzani revealed the confirmed attendance of dignitaries from ASEAN countries, its dialogue partners, and other friendly nations. Speaking to journalists on Saturday (October 19), Muzani stated that the presence of dignitaries from 33 friendly countries at the presidential inauguration demonstrated “great respect” for Indonesia.
Among those witnessing the swearing-in were Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Timor-Leste’s PM Xanana Gusmao, Vanuatu’s PM Charlot Tabimasmas, Brunei Darussalam’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Laos’ VP Pany Yathotou, and Vietnam’s VP Vo Thi Anh Xuan.
Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, China’s Vice President Han Zheng, and former German President Christian Wulff were also in attendance.
Muzani remarked, “Of course, the number of countries sending representatives to the inauguration is so large that we feel honored as a nation,” urging all Indonesians to be friendly hosts to the state guests.
The swearing-in of Prabowo and Gibran was also witnessed by former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and several former vice presidents, including Jusuf Kalla, alongside approximately 1,100 guests. Meanwhile, Presidential Secretariat Chief Heru Budi Hartono stated earlier that the inauguration drew participation from 20 state guests, an envoy from the United Nations, and 13 special envoys representing heads of state.
On Sunday evening, according to Muzani in his capacity as the secretary-general of the Prabowo-led Gerindra Party, President Prabowo Subianto planned to unveil the composition of his ministerial cabinet. Indonesians had given their mandate, with at least 1.7 million voters living abroad casting their ballots for the General Elections before February 14, 2024, while more than 203 million voters residing in Indonesia flocked to polling stations on Election Day.
The General Elections Commission declared the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka pair the winners of the presidential race, receiving 96,214,691 out of 164,227,475 valid national votes.
They won against candidate pairs Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar and Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud Md.
