Ex-general Prabowo takes office as Indonesia president

Former General Prabowo Subianto was sworn in on Sunday as the president of Indonesia, seeking a more prominent position on the global stage for the world's fourth most populous nation.

The 73-year-old fiery nationalist took the oath in parliament to officially succeed outgoing leader Joko Widodo.

"I swear that I will fulfill the duties of the president of the Republic of Indonesia as best as possible and as fair as possible, uphold the constitution, and implement all laws and regulations as strictly as possible," he said.

Before heading to the presidential palace, where Widodo – more popularly known as Jokowi – will hand over the reins after a decade in power, the former defense minister addressed lawmakers.

In his speech to lawmakers, Prabowo, who unsuccessfully ran for the presidency twice before, stated that he would be president for all Indonesians, even those who did not vote for him.

However, he acknowledged that there were internal issues in the country that needed to be addressed, including corruption.

"Do we realize that our people and our children are malnourished? So many of our people don't have good jobs. So many of our schools are neglected," Prabowo said.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have to be courageous in looking at all of this, and we have to be courageous in solving these problems," he added.

Prabowo has committed to Indonesia's non-aligned foreign policy but has signaled that he will be bolder on the world stage.

He made China his first foreign visit after his election eight months ago before embarking on trips to a dozen other countries, including Russia, Saudi Arabia and Australia, where he signed a key security deal.

He will also inherit Southeast Asia's largest economy and the world's largest nickel reserves, taking leadership of a country of 280 million, where about half are below age 30.

Prabowo won by a landslide in the first round of the February vote after making bold campaign pledges, including a $28 billion free meal plan for children.

Security was heightened across the capital, Jakarta, ahead of the inauguration, with around 100,000 police and army personnel deployed – including riot squads, sniper units and anti-drone teams.

(With input from agencies)